About Protea susannae E.Phillips
Protea susannae, commonly called the stink-leaf sugarbush, is a flowering shrub in the genus Protea. It is also known by the alternate common name stink-leaf protea; in Afrikaans, it is called stinkblaarsuikerbos. Its national tree registration number is 98.1. This species can grow up to three metres tall. It is monoecious, meaning each individual flower contains both male and female sexual structures. It blooms between April and September each year. This plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa, specifically occurring in the Western Cape province, where its range extends from Stanford to Stilbaai. In the periodic wildfires that pass through its native habitat, all mature adult plants are killed, but the species' seeds are able to survive these fires. Pollination is carried out by birds. Seeds are stored within old, dry fruiting heads that remain persistently attached to the plant after flowering. Seeds are eventually dispersed away from the parent plant by wind. The species grows in calcareous, pH-neutral soils at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 200 metres.
