Shrub or bushy tree to 5 m tall. Leaves elliptic to oblong, to 10 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, hairy at first, the base slightly lobed and stem-clasping. Flower head about 10 cm long, 6 cm wide, shuttlecock-shaped when first open. Bracts silvery with brown edges. Flowers white or occasionally pink; through the year but mainly spring to autumn. Syn. P. longiflora Lam.

S Africa (Cape).

Long flower buds with the appearance of a green candle. P. lacticolor is similar except that the buds are compact, oval or elliptic.

Source: Spencer, R.; Molyneux, B.; Mathews, D. (2002). Proteaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.