Protea nitida Mill.

Shrub or tree of variable height, spread and branching; usually a small gnarled tree to 5 m in height with a trunk diam. up to 400 mm, sometimes attaining 10 m in height with a trunk diam. up to 1 m; bark thick, whitish grey; occasionally a low multiple stemmed shrub to 1 m tall with a persistent rootstock. Stems stout 6-10 mm in diam., glabrous. Leaves sessile, oblong, elliptic to broadly elliptic, or obovate, acute to obtuse, glabrous, dull olivaceous to heavily glaucescent, coriaceous, 80-180 mm long, 15-60 mm wide. Inflorescence 80-160 mm in diam., oblong in bud, perianths projecting beyond involucral bracts; becoming globose on opening; expanded styles projecting beyond involucral bracts. Involucral receptacle conic-depressed, acute, 20-30 mm in diam., 15 mm high. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate; outer series very broadly ovate, acute or obtuse, 10-15 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, tightly imbricate, glabrous to silvery or minutely ferruginously sericeous; inner series widely splayed, oblong, 30-45 mm long, 10-20 mm wide, glabrous to partially sericeous, slightly incurved, apices rounded, concave. Perianth 60-75 mm long, slightly adaxially curved, glabrous except for the sericeous to velutinous perianth limbs; tube 10-15 mm long, glabrous, enlarged and prominently ridged, inner surface of lips occasionally minutely puberulous; claws slender, glabrous; limbs linear, straight, acute to acuminate, 20-28 mm long, silvery sericeous to densely velutinous. Anthers 4, sessile. Style adaxially arcuate, 60-80 mm long, broadened and ancipitous proximally, terete and tapering distally, glabrous. Pollen presenter filiform, straight, not clearly differentiated from style, 10-12 mm long. Ovary obconic, 3-5 mm long, covered with 10 mm long, straight tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales broadly ovate, 2 mm long, thick and fleshy. Flowering may be erratic, occurring almost throughout the year but there is a distinct winter peak, between May and August.