Protea madiensis Oliv.

Branching shrub or small tree 1-4(-5) m. high, with main stem up to 12 cm. thick.. Branches sometimes densely pubescent when very young, the epidermis usually dark purple and glabrescent on mature young branches and flaking off to expose the rusty-red cortex when older.. Leaves very variable in shape, from narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate to broadly elliptic or broadly ovate, up to 21 × 11 cm., 1.5-5.5 times as long as broad, narrower leaves gradually cuneate to the base but broader leaves usually abruptly contracted to a shortly cuneate base and sometimes subpetiolate, usually subacute at the apex in narrow leaves but rounded in broader leaves, glabrous throughout or sometimes densely pubescent with longish appressed hairs when very young, occasionally with appressed hairs persisting near the base of the midrib.. Heads (8-) 10-15 cm. in diameter, or up to 17 cm. when bracts are fully extended.. Middle bracts 2.5-4 × (1.2-)1.4-2.2(-2.5) cm., rounded to subacute, ciliate or not on margins, the surface glabrous to sericeous, brown or the tip often pink; innermost bracts linear-oblong to linear-spathulate and usually longitudinally inrolled, (4.5-)5.5-7 × (0.6-)0.8-1.3 cm., exceeding the flowers, like the middle bracts in indumentum, creamy white with a pinkish tip.. Flowers (3-)4-5.5(-6) cm., creamy white; perianth-base and claw villous; limb (10-)11-16(-17) mm., glabrous or rarely with a few hairs or (W. Africa only) villous.

Lowland to upland savannah. Upland grassland at elevations from 1,500-2,280 metres; sometimes in miombo woodland at elevations from 500-1,500 metres.

The flower nectar is eaten.

Can be grown by seedlings.