About Protea laurifolia Thunb.
Protea laurifolia Thunb. is a tall, erect shrub that can reach up to eight metres in height. Its leaves are grey to bluish green, have short stalks, and bear horny margins. This species flowers from mid-Autumn to early Winter, which corresponds to the period between April and November. The species is monoecious, meaning each individual flower contains both male and female sex organs. It closely resembles Protea neriifolia, but has a more westerly geographic distribution. Unlike P. laurifolia, P. neriifolia has sessile leaves (with no petiole) that curve upwards, and its leaves are often a more greenish colour. This plant species is endemic to South Africa, where it grows in both the Northern and Western Cape provinces. Its range extends from Nieuwoudtville to Franschhoek and Anysberg. Within the Western Cape, it occurs in Elands Kloof in the Hottentots Holland Mountains, and on Agterwitzenberg Vlakte in the Skurweberg Mountains, which forms part of the Koue Bokkeveld mountain range. It grows in sandy or granite soils, at altitudes between 400 and 1,200 metres. It is most commonly found in fynbos habitat, but can sometimes also grow on shale, in renosterveld, or in scrubland. Adult plants are killed by the periodic wildfires that occur in its native habitat, but the species' seeds survive these fires. Its fruits are woody and persistent, meaning they remain attached to the plant after the plant tissue dies. Burnt plant skeletons release the stored seeds from retained dry flower heads during the season after a wildfire, and seeds are dispersed by wind.
