Protea scorzonerifolia (salisb. ex Knight) Rycroft

A low tufted rhizomatous shrublet forming loose mats up to 1 m in diam. and up to 300 mm in height. Stems largely subterranean, 5-10 mm in diam., glabrous, covered with black scale leaves, emerging about 150 mm above ground level and terminating in a tuft of leaves. Leaves acicular-canaliculate to linear and broadly canaliculate, 150-350 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, straight to subfalcate, apices mucronate, sparsely pubescent initially, soon glabrous, margins scabrous. Inflorescences narrowly conic in bud becoming obconic on opening, 90-110 mm long, 50-80 mm wide. Involucral receptacle conic-acute, 10-15 mm wide, 15 mm high. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate, outer surface uniformly sericeous, pale yellowish-cream to pink; outer series narrowly ovate-obtuse, 8-12 mm wide, 10-20 mm long; inner series oblong-lanceolate, obtuse to acute, 50-70 mm long, 5-15 mm wide becoming widely splayed at anthesis. Perianth straight, 70-85 mm long, villous but densely lanate towards apices of perianth limbs, projecting beyond the inner involucral bracts at anthesis; tube 8-10 mm long, glabrous proximally but villous distally; claws densely villous on both inner and outer surfaces; limbs straight, 20-25 mm long, densely lanate, linear-acuminate. Anthers 4, sessile. Style 60-75 mm long, ancipitous proximally, becoming terete distally. Pollen presenter linear-acute, 10-12 mm long, slightly geniculate at junction with style. Ovary obconic, 3 mm long, covered with 10 mm long tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales 2 mm long, ovate-acute, occasionally bilobed.