Protea obtusifolia H.Buek ex Meisn.

A large erect, rounded shrub or small spreading tree 2-4 m in height, to 5 m in diam., with a stout main trunk up to 600 mm in diam. Stems densely puberulous, cinereous, eventually glabrous. Leaves ascending, oblanceolate-elliptic to broadly oblanceolate, 100-150 mm long, 20-40 mm broad, tapering to a distinct petiolar region, apices obtuse to rounded; minutely puberulous initially, very soon quite glabrous, coriaceous. Inflorescences oblong-obconic, 90-120 mm long, 50-80 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle 25-35 mm in diam. 10-15 mm high, conic-depressed. Involucral bracts 6-7 seriate; outer series softly sericeous, 10-20 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, margins densely fimbriate, the apices tending to turn brown in fresh state; inner series imbricate, oblong-lanceolate to linear-spathulate, 40-100 mm long, 5-18 mm wide, apices spathulate-acute with fimbriate margins; outer surface otherwise glabrous. Perianth straight, 70-80 mm long; tube region inflated but laterally compressed, 15 mm long, glabrous; claws slender, densely puberulous; limbs linear-subulate, 15 mm long, sparsely villous, limbs of the adaxial perianth sheath prolonged into 10 mm long awns, villous to sericeous, straight or undulate, median adaxial awn shorter than laterals. Anthers 3; anther on abaxial limb reduced to a staminode. Style straight, 60-70 mm long, puberulous and slightly ancipitous proximally, terete and glabrous distally. Pollen presenter slightly geniculate at junction with style, straight, linear, 8 mm long, apex minutely capitellate. Ovary obconic, 2-3 mm long, covered with white to tawny straight trichomes. Hypogynous scales broadly ovate, 2 mm long, thick and fleshy. Flowering takes place during winter, between April and September, with the peak of the season being in June and July.

It is a subtropical plant.

The nectar is sucked or shaken from the flowers.