Protea scabra R.Br.

A low, tufted shrublet forming clumps to 0.5 m in diam., having an extensive horizontally radiating subterranean stem system, the stems covered with black leaf scales, each growing point terminating in a tuft of leaves. Leaves acicular, linear, or oblanceolate-canaliculate, or with revolute margins or plane, 2-25 mm wide, 100-300 mm long tapering in petiolar region, apices acute to obtuse; surface sparsely pubescent with long, weak, white trichomes soon becoming glabrous but heavily scabrous. Inflorescences terminal in each leaf tuft; turbinate, 30-50 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle narrowly conic-acute, 10 mm wide, 10 mm high. Involucral bracts 4-5 seriate, covered with a short densely velutinous, ferruginous indumentum; outer series tightly imbricate, 5-7 mm wide, 5-8 mm long, ovate-acute, margins ciliate; inner series ovate-oblong to narrowly oblong, 4-10 mm wide, 15-20 mm long, apices rounded, concave, occasionally ferruginously crinite. Perianth 35-40 mm long, slightly adaxially arcuate; tube region dilated, 10 mm long but becoming villous distally and abruptly narrowing into the slender villous claws; limbs 10 mm long, linear-acuminate, densely villous, the apices ferruginously crinite. Anthers 4. Style strongly adaxially arcuate, 30-35 mm long, glabrous, terete. Ovary obconic, 3 mm long, covered with 10 mm long straight, tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales broadly ovate, 1 mm long. Flowering takes place at the end of winter and in early spring, between July and October, although blooms may be produced erratically from as early as April.