Kirchhoffs Protea Cynaroides

KIRCHHOFFS PROTEA CYNAROIDES

Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of South African flowering plants, sometimes also called Sugarbushes. Most Protea occur south of the Limpopo River. 92% of the species occur only in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mountainous coastal land from Clanwilliam to Grahamstown, South Africa. MOST PROTEAS WILL FLOWER FROM YEAR 3 AFTER PLANTING, but the spectacular flowers are well worth the wait.

Protea cynaroides is a woody shrub with thick stems and large dark green, glossy leaves. The “flowers” of Protea cynaroides are actually flower heads with a collection of flowers in the centre, surrounded by large colourful bracts. The flowerheads vary in size, from about 120 mm to 300 mm in diameter. Large, vigorous plants produce six to ten flower heads in one season. The colour of the bracts varies from a creamy white to a deep crimson, but the soft pale pink bracts with a silvery sheen are the most prized