Protea humiflora Andrews

A suberect to sprawling shrub, up to 1 m tall, 1-2 m in diam., densely branched with horizontally spreading branches and a single main trunk to 80 mm in diam. Stems glabrous 2-4 mm in diam. Leaves sessile, patent or standing at right angles to stems, linear, straight to subfalcate 55-110 mm long, 2-6 mm wide, with a distinct midrib, apices acuminate; surface glabrous, dark reddish-brown, glaucescent. Inflorescences globose in bud, axillary; shallowly crateriform on opening, 60-80 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle very prominently conic-acuminate, 10-15 mm in diam., 20-25 mm high. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate, outer surface densely puberulous to shortly velutinous, indumentum dark purple-black; outer series tightly imbricate, very broadly ovate obtuse, 8-10 mm wide, 6-10 mm long; inner series widely splayed, broadly ovate-oblong to broadly oblong-spathulate, incurved, 30-40 mm long, 6-10 mm wide, apices rounded, densely fimbriate with dark purple-black hairs. Perianth 20-25 mm long, very strongly adaxially arcuate; tube inflated, glabrous, 10-12 mm long; claws strongly adaxially arcuate, tapering terminally; limbs elliptic, 6-8 mm long, glabrous but terminally crinite. Anthers 4, subsessile. Style 30-40 mm long, very strongly adaxially falcate (curved almost at right angles), ancipitous and broadened proximally, terete distally. Pollen presenter linear-filiform, 6 mm long, scarcely differentiated from style. Ovary obconic, 2-3 mm long, covered with 10 mm long, straight, tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales linear-subulate, 2 mm long. Flowering in P. humiflora takes place in late winter and early spring, from July until September, reaching a peak in August.