WART HOG was busy last week doing a spot-check countrywide preparing for the tree-planting activity this year before the rainy season. During these visits Wart Hog came across a beautiful flowering plant called the Protea (Protea cynaroides). This is a distinctive member of Protea, having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant Protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region.
The king Protea is the national flower of South Africa but also found in Zambia. The king Protea has several colour forms and horticulturists have recognised 81 garden varieties, some of which have injudiciously been planted in its natural range.
In some varieties the pink of the flower and red borders of leaves are replaced by a creamy yellow. This unusual flower has a long vase life in flower arrangements, and makes for an excellent dried flower.
Protea cynaroides is adapted to survive wildfires by its thick underground stem, which contains many dormant buds; these will produce the new growth after the fire.
Protea cynaroides is a species of Protea in the huge family Proteaceae. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. It is further placed within the subfamily Proteoideae, which is found mainly in Southern Africa. This subfamily is defined as those species having cluster roots, solitary ovules and indehiscent fruits. Proteoideae is further divided into four tribes: Conospermeae, Petrophileae, Proteae and Leucadendreae. The genus Protea, and hence Protea cynaroides, is placed under the tribe Proteae.
Warthog gives a description for Protea cynaroides as follows: it is a woody shrub with thick stems and large dark green, glossy leaves. Most plants are one metre in height when mature, but may vary according to locality and habitat from 0.35 m to 2 metres in height.
The “flowers” of Protea cynaroides are actually composite flower heads (termed an inflorescence) with a collection of flowers in the centre, surrounded by large colourful bracts.  The flower heads vary in size, from about 120 mm to 300 mm in diameter. Large, vigorous plants produce six to ten flower heads in one season, although some exceptional plants can produce up to forty flower heads on one plant.
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. Protea cynaroides grows in a harsh environment with dry, hot summers and wet, cold winters.
Several adaptions include tough, leathery leaves, which helps to prevent excessive loss of moisture, and a large taproot which penetrates deep into the soil to reach underground moisture. Like most other Proteaceae, Protea cynaroides has proteoid roots, roots with dense clusters of short lateral rootlets that form a mat in the soil just below the leaf litter. These enhance solubilisation of nutrients, thus allowing nutrient uptake in the low-nutrient, phosphorus-deficient soils of its native fynbos habitat.
Along with birds, a host of insects are attracted to the flowerhead, such as bees, for example the Cape honeybee, and various beetle species such as rove beetles and the beetles of the huge family Scarabaeidae such as the Protea beetle Trichostetha fascicularis and monkey beetles. Like many other Protea species, Protea cynaroides is adapted to an environment in which bushfires are essential for reproduction and regeneration.
Sugarbirds and Sunbirds are credited with most of the bird pollination, and the Scarab and Rover Beetles are the insects that help nurture Proteas, and rodents like mice, rats, gerbils and shrews are attracted to the musky smell and the syrup-like nectar that is secreted in large quantities. The wind only accounts for the pollination of ten species of Proteas in South Africa. Those ten do not secret nectar.
Wart hog points out on the growing climate which we can use Protea, by planting seeds or cuttings should be planted well-drained and warm soil and kept in temperatures that hover around 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. They usually take about ten weeks to germinate. Small plants should be protected from low humidity and direct sunlight.
Protea generally do well in foggy subtropical climates, and in warm tropical climates. Protea can withstand some frost and an occasional freeze, but it prefers warm climates. It will grow in full sun with a moderate amount of water, and well-drained soil. The soil should be moderately acidic and low in phosphates.
Many of the undomesticated varieties are not suited for commercial use, but the farm grown varieties of Protea make excellent long-lasting cut flower arrangements. Some species like the Leucadendron and the Banksia produce cones or seed heads, which can be used in dried arrangements. Landscapers like to use Protea in hillside gardens as well as in garden beds.
The medical uses for Protea range from a cough syrup ingredient to clearing up chest disorders. The Protea Caffra is used to cure stomach ulcers and diarrhea. The South Africans have several medical uses for Protea. For years the syrup or nectar was used as a sugar substitute and for curing coughs, but those practices peaked in the early 1800s.
The Protea is a symbol for a new attitude that is infiltrating the minds of 21st century non-conformists. Its ability to change and still keep the integrity of the species has made it an element of contrast within a field of sameness. It represents diversity and inner strength, and that essence is captured in new landscape and architectural designs. The features of this incredible species continue to change and we continue to enjoy and mirror that change.

Wildlife & Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia
P.O. Box 30255, Lusaka, Zambia.
Telefax: 260-211-251630, Cell: 0977-780770
E-mail: wecsz@coppernet.zm