About Protea rubropilosa Beard
Protea rubropilosa Beard is a brushy tree that grows up to 8 m (26 ft) tall, with a spreading canopy. It has a twisted trunk and gnarled bark. It blooms in spring, from September to December, peaking in October. The outside of its bracts is very hairy and reddish-brown, while the inside of the bracts is bright red. Its florets change colour from whitish to bright red. This plant is monoecious, with both sexes present in each flower. Protea rubropilosa is endemic to a section of Great Escarpment slopes in northeastern South Africa, occurring in the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Its distribution ranges from the Wolkberg to Lydenburg, and it grows along the Blyderivier. Pollination is carried out by birds. Seeds are released nine to twelve months after flowering and dispersed by wind. Unlike seeds stored in the infructescence, these seeds lie on the ground until they can germinate. Periodic wildfires in this plant's habitat destroy adult plants, but the seeds survive fire. The plant grows on south-facing slopes in sandstone- and quartzite-derived soils, at altitudes of 1,400 to 2,300 metres. It occurs in montane grassland around Long Tom Pass, sourveld on mountain summits and cliff slopes, and fynbos in afromontane areas of the Northern Escarpment. This species is cultivated at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and has been assigned the South African national tree number 97.
