Protea laurifolia Thunb.

Mm in diam., branching taking place from about 200 mm above ground level. Stems erect, stout, 7-10 mm in diam., covered with a dense cinereous indumentum. Leaves narrowly to broadly elliptic, 80-140 mm long, 10-55 mm wide, narrowing to a distinctly petiolate base, petiolule 3-20 mm long; apices acute to mucronate, very occasionally obtuse and mucronate; midrib prominent; margins very prominent, heavily horny; surface glaucous, glabrous at maturity but puberulous initially, petiolar region often remaining puberulous. Inflorescence oblong, 100-130 mm long, 40-60 mm wide. Involucral receptacle broadly conic-depressed, 15-25 mm in diam., 5-7 mm high. Involucral bracts 6-7 seriate, densely sericeous; outer series ovate-acute, 10-12 mm wide, 10-20 mm long, the apices papyraceous and recurved, margins ciliate, grading into inner series and becoming lanceolate acute, the apices becoming increasingly tufted with dark purple-black, white or mixed beards; inner series oblong, narrowly oblong-spathulate to narrowly spathulate, 80-100 mm long, 3-15 mm wide, apices rounded to acute, erect to incurved, very thickly bearded with purple-black, white or mixed black and white hairs, beards very densely lanate 5-10 mm long. Perianth straight, 750-900 mm long, tube glabrous, quadrangular 10-12 mm long, becoming puberulous distally and merging imperceptibly into densely puberulous perianth claws; limbs of adaxial perianth sheath 25-30 mm long, median adaxial limb glabrous, lateral limbs covered with long, straight trichomes, white, purple-black or black and white interspersed, forming a distinctly secund brush, each limb prolonged into a wiry 15 mm long, densely pubescent awn, the median awn shorter than the two laterals; free abaxial limb 100 mm long, densely villous. Anthers 3, subsessile, the anther on the free abaxial limb reduced to a staminode. Style straight to very slightly curved, ancipitous, very sparsely pubescent, 650-700 mm long. Pollen presenter linear-acute tapering terminally, prominently geniculate at junction with style, 8-10 mm long. Ovary 5 mm long covered with 10-12 mm long, straight tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales lanceolate-acute 1 mm long. Although the main flowering period is from May to July, inflorescences may be produced at any time between April and November, depending on local conditions.