Protea longifolia Andrews

A suberect to sprawling shrub 0.5-1.5 m in height, to 2 m in diam., with a single main trunk to 40 mm in diam. Stems 5-8 mm in diam., minutely cinereously puberulous, later glabrescent. Leaves densely ascending, linear to linear-spathulate, straight (only occasionally subfalcate), 90-200 mm long, 5-17 mm wide, tapering in petiolar region, apices obtuse to rounded. Inflorescences variable in size, 80-160 mm long, 40-90 mm in diam., oblong-obconic; the perianth awns drawn together centrally to form a prominent black, lanate cone. Involucral receptacle broadly conic-depressed, 20-25 mm in diam., 5-10 mm high. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate, glabrous, green, whitish or pink; outer series ovate acute 10-15 mm wide, 12-15 mm long, tightly imbricate, margins occasionally minutely ciliate; inner series ovate-oblong to oblong or narrowly oblong-lanceolate, sharply acute, 70-120 mm long, 5-15 mm wide, slightly hyaline, drying to papyraceous. Perianth straight, of variable length in each inflorescence due to innermost perianths having the longest awns; outer perianths 45-100 mm long, inner perianths 55-130 mm long; tube 10 mm long, quadrangular, glabrous proximally, villous distally; claws very densely tomentose proximally becoming silky-lanate distally; the 3 adaxial limbs of perianth sheath linear, 10-15 mm long, prolonged into two, 25-55 mm long awns densely beset with long straight silky trichomes, white proximally, purple-black distally; median awn much reduced, subulate, 5-10 mm long. Free abaxial limb linear-acuminate, silky-tomentose, 12-15 mm long. Anthers 3, sessile, linear; anther on abaxial limb reduced to staminode. Style straight, 40-65 mm long, proximally puberulous for three quarters of its length, tapering and glabrous distally. Pollen presenter straight, linear, prominently geniculate at junction with style. Ovary obconic, 3 mm long, covered with 10 mm long, straight tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales ovate, 2 mm long, thickly fleshy. Flowering extends over most of the winter season from May until September, but the peak is reached in June and July.