About Protea scolopendriifolia (Knight) Rourke
Protea scolopendriifolia, commonly called harts-tongue-fern sugarbush or hart's-tongue-fern sugarbush, is a flowering shrub that is endemic to South Africa. It grows across both the Western and Eastern Cape provinces, with a distribution that extends from the Cederberg, through the Kogelberg, Riviersonderend Mountains and Swartberg, all the way to the Kouga Mountains. This species blooms in spring, between September and December. It produces underground rhizomes, and new shoots bud from these rhizomes, particularly after wildfires. The full mature plant that grows from these rhizomes can reach up to 1 metre across. Seeds are held within the seed-head for a substantial period of time, before they are released and dispersed by wind. Each individual flower contains both male and female reproductive parts. Pollination of this species is carried out by rodents. It typically grows on Cederberg shale, and can sometimes be found growing on sandstone soils, at altitudes ranging between 450 m and 1,800 m.
