Protea magnifica

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Protea magnifica
Protea magnifica flower.JPG
Protea magnifica developing inflorescence
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. magnifica
Binomial name
Protea magnifica
Synonyms [3]
  • Protea barbigera Meisn.
  • Scolymocephalus barbiger(Meisn.) Kuntze

Protea magnifica, commonly known as the queen protea, [2] [4] [5] is a shrub, [6] which belongs to the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, [2] [5] and which is native to South Africa. [2] [3]

Contents

The species is also called queen sugarbush, [2] [6] bearded sugarbush or woolly beard. In the Afrikaans language the vernacular names baardprotea, baardsuikerbos, baard-suikerbos, koninginprotea, suikerbosprotea, wolbaardsuikerbos and wolbaard-suikerbos have all been recorded for the plant. [2]

Taxonomy

The International Plant Names Index attributes the authorship of Protea magnifica to Henry Cranke Andrews, [7] but the South African National Biodiversity Institute attributes it to Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link. [2]

Description

It grows either as an erect or as a sprawling shrub, growing up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in height. The inflorescences are specialised structures called pseudanthia, also known simply as flower heads, containing hundred of reduced flowers, called florets. It is monoecious, both sexes occur in each flower. [6] It blooms in spring, [5] from June to January. The fruit, containing a seed, is kept within the old, dried infructescence which is retained persistently on the plant. [6]

Distribution

This plant is endemic to the Cape Region of South Africa, [2] [3] where it only occurs in the Western Cape province. [2] It occurs in the Koue Bokkeveld to Hottentots Holland, Klein Swartberg, Riviersonderend, [6] Franschhoek [5] and central Langeberg mountain ranges. It is spatially distributed as isolated stands. [6]

Ecology

It is pollinated by birds. The wildfires which periodically move through the land in which the shrub grows destroy the adult plants, but the seeds can survive such an event. When released, the seeds are dispersed by means of the wind. [6]

Habitat

It grows high in the mountains on hot, dry mountain slopes near the snow line, at altitudes between 1,200 and 2,700 metres. [6] It exclusively occurs in a fynbos habitat, but it occur in many different sub-types of this general habitat. It usually grows in substrates derived of sandstone, but may sometimes grow on quartzite. [2]

Uses

This the most prized cut flower in the trade. In 1998, the best flower heads were still said come from the wild, and were often harvested for this purpose. [6]

Conservation

Protea magnifica is not threatened, [2] [6] and is locally common. [6] As of 2019 the total population numbers were believed to be stable. The South African National Biodiversity Institute first assessed this species for the Red List of South African Plants in 2009, rating the conservation status as 'least concern . In 2019 this assessment was reiterated. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Protea neriifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea laurifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea laurifolia, also known as the grey-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub from South Africa. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

<i>Protea aristata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea aristata is a compact shrub with beautiful flowers which is endemic to the southwestern part of the Cape Region of South Africa. P. aristata has become one of South Africa's most famous proteas in spite of its relatively late discovery, and re-discovery in 1953. The leaves are soft, dense and needle-like and the flower heads are a stunning crimson red, it may thus be a good potential ornamental plant for South African gardens. It is usually called the Ladismith sugarbush in South African English, although it has been called pine sugar bush in Australia. In the Afrikaans language it has the vernacular name of klein-den-suikerbos.

<i>Protea acaulos</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea acaulos, also known as the common ground sugarbush, is a flowering plant found in the southwestern Cape Region, South Africa. It is also simply known as ground protea; in the Afrikaans language it is known as an aardroos.

<i>Protea intonsa</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea vogtsiae</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea rubropilosa</i> Flowering tree

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.

<i>Protea dracomontana</i> Species of flowering shrub

Protea dracomontana, the Nyanga protea or the Drakensberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant that belongs within the genus Protea. The plant is found in the Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal and the escarpment of the Free State, as well as eastern Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe this species is only known from a disjunct subpopulation confined to the summit of Mount Nyangani.

<i>Protea pudens</i> Flowering tree

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.

<i>Protea susannae</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

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.

<i>Protea speciosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea speciosa, also known as the brown-beard sugarbush, is a flowering shrub which is classified as within the genus Protea.

<i>Protea glabra</i> Species of flowering shrub

Protea glabra, also called the Clanwilliam sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea grandiceps</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea grandiceps, commonly known as rooisuikerbos, suikerbos or red sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the Protea genus and is native to parts south western parts of South Africa. The shrub was listed as an+ near threatened species in 2006 according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

<i>Protea witzenbergiana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea witzenbergiana, or Swan sugarbush, is a flowering shrub of the genus Protea.

<i>Protea lorea</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae

Protea lorea, also known as the thong-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea lorifolia</i> Species of shrub

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.

<i>Protea laevis</i> Species of shrub

Protea laevis, also known as the smooth-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that belongs within the genus Protea.

<i>Protea parvula</i> Species of flowering shrub

Protea parvula, also known as the dainty sugarbush, or kleinsuikerbos in Afrikaans, is a small flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.

<i>Protea caespitosa</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Protea punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

References

  1. ↑ Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (2020). "Protea magnifica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T113210734A185534115. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T113210734A185534115.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rebelo, A.G.; Mtshali, H.; von Staden, L. (3 June 2019). "Queen Protea". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute . Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Protea magnifica Andrews". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Wiersema, John H.; León, Blanca (1999). World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference (illustrated ed.). CRC Press. p. 693. ISBN   9780849321191.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Protea magnifica (Queen protea)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko - Museums of South Africa. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Bearded Sugarbushes - Proteas". Protea Atlas Project Website. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Protea magnifica". International Plant Names Index . The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 6 September 2020.


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