Protea compacta
Encyclopedia
Protea compacta is similar to Protea eximia
. Its distribution is from the Kleinmond
to Bredasdorp
Mountains and is one of the best known protea
s in the cut flower industry
. Its leaves
curve upward.
, where it is known by the common name of the Bot River protea
. Its natural habitat is a narrow region of the south western Cape Province
, and it occurs at altitudes less than 100m above sea level, in poor, sandy, generally highly leached
acidic soils. The plants tend to grow in close groups where their stems support each other.
The plants can be cultivated in well-drained acid soils, and are tolerant of light frost and salt spray near the coast. Fresh seed germinates readily, and cuttings taken from semi-hardwood in late spring or autumn are usually successful. Visitors to South Africa can see the plant in cultivation by driving the beautiful coastal road from Gordon's Bay to Hermanus.
tending to fade towards the base; up to 120mm long and up 90mm in circumference, carried on long stems of ca. 500mm in length with the bloom at the apex; usual flowering period is early to mid-winter, but may occasionally flower at other times. The colour of the flowers can be quite variable in intensity, and a natural white variety does occur. The bracts are slightly translucent making the flowers particularly radiant when backlit by the sun.
Protea eximia
Protea eximia, the broad-leaved sugarbush is a shrub that may become a small tree, which occurs in mountain fynbos on mainly acidic sandy soils; the species was very well known under its old name of Protea latifolia...
. Its distribution is from the Kleinmond
Kleinmond
Kleinmond is a small coastal town in the Overberg region of the Western Cape province, South Africa. It is situated inside a UNESCO-declared Biosphere about 90 km east of Cape Town between Betty's Bay and Hermanus....
to Bredasdorp
Bredasdorp
Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.-History:The...
Mountains and is one of the best known protea
Protea
Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
s in the cut flower industry
Floriculture
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry...
. Its leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
curve upward.
Description
This is a popular local market cut flower in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where it is known by the common name of the Bot River protea
Protea
Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
. Its natural habitat is a narrow region of the south western Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
, and it occurs at altitudes less than 100m above sea level, in poor, sandy, generally highly leached
Leaching (pedology)
In pedology, leaching is the loss of mineral and organic solutes due to percolation. It is a mechanism of soil formation. It is distinct from the soil forming process of eluviation, which is the loss of mineral and organic colloids. Leached and elluviated materials tend to be lost from topsoil and...
acidic soils. The plants tend to grow in close groups where their stems support each other.
The plants can be cultivated in well-drained acid soils, and are tolerant of light frost and salt spray near the coast. Fresh seed germinates readily, and cuttings taken from semi-hardwood in late spring or autumn are usually successful. Visitors to South Africa can see the plant in cultivation by driving the beautiful coastal road from Gordon's Bay to Hermanus.
Growth Habit
Erect slender bush, tending to sprawl on richer soils. May extend long stems that reach a max. of 3.5m in height. Relatively short-lived - average age ca. 10 years.Leaves
Distinctive - ca. 100mm in length, 50mm in width; soft and pilose when young becoming leathery and glabrous with age; margins entire and often reddish; carried closely to the stems causing the stems to appear neat in appearance.Flowers
The blooms are a striking pink colour and shaped like the bowl of a wineglass, the outer involucral bractsBract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
tending to fade towards the base; up to 120mm long and up 90mm in circumference, carried on long stems of ca. 500mm in length with the bloom at the apex; usual flowering period is early to mid-winter, but may occasionally flower at other times. The colour of the flowers can be quite variable in intensity, and a natural white variety does occur. The bracts are slightly translucent making the flowers particularly radiant when backlit by the sun.