Protea aurea (Burm.f.) Rourke

Long Bud Protea

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.

Hero image
kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Proteanae
order      Proteales
family       Proteaceae
genus        Protea L.