Protea laurifolia | |
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Cederberg, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Protea |
Species: | P. laurifolia |
Binomial name | |
Protea laurifolia | |
Synonyms [3] [4] | |
Protea laurifolia, also known as the grey-leaf sugarbush, [3] [5] [6] is a shrub from South Africa. [6] [7] It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. [8]
Another vernacular name for this species is laurel sugarbush. In Afrikaans this species is known by the common names of louriersuikerbos, lourier-suikerbos, suikerbos and suikerkan. [3]
Protea laurifolia was first described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1806. [2]
Protea laurifolia is a tall, erect shrub which can grow up to eight metres in height. [6] The leaves are grey to bluish green and short-stalked with horny margins. [9] It flowers from mid-Autumn to early Winter, or from April to November. [5] [6] The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower. [6]
It is similar to P. neriifolia, but has a more westerly distribution. P. neriifolia has sessile (no petiole) leaves, which curve upwards and are often somewhat more greenish. [9]
This plant species is endemic to South Africa, but occurs in both the Northern and Western Cape provinces. [3] It is found from Nieuwoudtville to Franschhoek and Anysberg. [6] In the Western Cape it occurs in the Elands Kloof in the Hottentots Holland Mountains and the Agterwitzenberg Vlakte in the Skurweberg Mountains, part of the Koue Bokkeveld mountain range. [5]
It grows in sandy or granite soils, at altitudes of 400 to 1,200 metres. [6] It is usually found in a fynbos habitat, but sometimes also grows on shale, or in renosterveld or scrubland. [3]
The adult plants are killed by the periodic wildfires of its habitat, but its seeds survive these events. The fruits are woody and persistent, which means they are retained on the plant after senescence. [6] The burnt skeletons of trees release the seeds from the retained dry flower heads in the season following a wildfire. [5] The seeds are dispersed by means of the wind. [6]
The hybrid cultivar 'Rose Mink' was selected by Dennis Perry and is sold in the US as an ornamental plant. It is fairly frost-hardy in southern Californian gardens. [7]
The status of world population is not considered threatened. [6] It was first assessed as 'least concern' by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in 2009. According to the 2019 SANBI assessment the overall population is decreasing, but it was nonetheless still assessed as 'least concern'. [3]
Protea neriifolia, also known as the narrow-leaf sugarbush, oleander-leaved sugarbush, blue sugarbush, or the oleanderleaf protea, is a flowering plant in the genus Protea, which is endemic to South Africa.
Protea gaguedi is a species of tree which belongs to the genus Protea.
Protea scolymocephala, also known as the thistle protea or thistle sugarbush, is a flowering plant from the genus Protea native to South Africa.
Protea magnifica, commonly known as the queen protea, is a shrub, which belongs to the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, and which is native to South Africa.
Protea effusa, sometimes known as the scarlet sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language the vernacular name blosrooisuikerbos has been recorded for this plant.
Protea namaquana, also known as the Kamiesberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa, in particular the Kamiesberg mountains of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape province. The species has a worldwide distribution of only 18 km2. It is regarded as critically endangered. In the Afrikaans language it has the vernacular name is Kamiesbergsuikerbos.
Protea pendula, also known as the nodding sugarbush or arid sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea, in the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the Cape Region of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language it is known as knikkopsuikerbossie or ondersteboknopprotea.
Protea intonsa, also known as the tufted sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa, where it is distributed from the eastern Swartberg and Kammanassie Mountains to the Baviaanskloof mountains. In Afrikaans it is known as klossie-suikerbos.
Protea vogtsiae, also known as the Kouga sugarbush, is a small flowering shrub of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the southern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea rubropilosa, also known as the Transvaal sugarbush, escarpment sugarbush or Transvaal mountain sugarbush, is a flowering tree, that belongs to the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae. The plant only occurs in South Africa.
Protea pudens, also known as the bashful sugarbush, is a low-growing, groundcover-like, flowering shrub in the genus Protea. It is only found growing in the wild in a small area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Protea susannae, also known as stink-leaf sugarbush, is a flower-bearing shrub of the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.
Protea glabra, also called the Clanwilliam sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.
Protea lorifolia, in English called the strap-leaved sugarbush, strap-leaved protea or strap-leaf sugarbush is a flowering shrub which belongs to the genus Protea.
Protea restionifolia, which is also known as the Reed-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa where it is found from the upper part of the Breede River Valley through the Bot River Valley to Wolseley and the Koue Bokkeveld Mountains.
Protea laevis, also known as the smooth-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs within the genus Protea.
Protea revoluta, also known as the roll-leaved sugarbush or rolled-leaf sugarbush, is a species of plant which is classified in the genus Protea. P. revoluta is only found growing in the wild in South Africa, where plants can be found growing between the Cederberg inland on the Atlantic coast and the Witteberg area to the north.
Protea caespitosa, also known as hottentot bishop sugarbush or bishop sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is only found growing in the wild in South Africa.
Protea punctata, also known as the water sugarbush or water white sugarbush, is a shrub belonging to the genus Protea which is found growing in the wild in South Africa.
Protea scolopendriifolia, also known as the harts-tongue-fern sugarbush or hart's-tongue-fern sugarbush, is a flowering shrub endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in both the Western and Eastern Cape. It is found from the Cederberg, through the Kogelberg, Riviersonderend Mountains and Swartberg, to the Kouga Mountains. It blooms in Spring, from September to December.