Protea acaulos (L.) Reichard

A low, prostrate, rhizomatous shrublet with an extensive subterranean branch system producing short, trailing aerial shoots and forming loose clumps up to 1 m in diam. Stems trailing, glabrous, 3-5 mm in diam. Leaves usually secund to sub-secund; only occasionally ascending, very narrowly oblanceolate-linear to very broadly obovate, 60-250 mm long, 6-70 mm wide, apices rounded, obtuse, or sharply acute to mucronate, basal region tapered either abruptly or gradually to form a distinct petiole or petiolar region; glabrous, often glaucescent. Inflorescences ovoid in bud becoming shallowly crateriform on opening, 30-60 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle conic acute, 8-12 mm in diam., 10 mm high. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate, glabrous; outer series tightly imbricate, ovate acute, 5-8 mm long, 4-8 mm wide; inner series oblong to narrowly oblong-spathulate, widely splayed and incurved at anthesis, becoming recurved later, 20-25 mm long, 5-8 mm wide, apices rounded, margins very occasionally minutely ciliate. Perianth strongly adaxially arcuate, 22-28 mm long; tube inflated, glabrous, ridged, 8-10 mm long; claws deflected adaxially from tube, glabrous externally but margins of inner surface densely villous to lanate; limbs linear, acute, 6-8 mm long, sparsely sericeous to sericeous. Anthers 4, sessile. Style strongly adaxially arcuate to falcate, broadened and ancipitous proximally, tapering and terete distally, 25-35 mm long, glabrous. Pollen presenter linear-acute, 5-7 mm long, scarcely differentiated from style. Ovary obconic, 2 mm long, covered with 10 mm long, straight dark brown or tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales oblong-obtuse 1 mm long. Flowering is erratic, extending over a lengthy period, from June to November, though the peak of the season is in August and September.