Protea lorea
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| Protea lorea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Protea |
| Species: | P. lorea |
| Binomial name | |
| Protea lorea | |
Protea lorea, also known as the thong-leaf sugarbush,[3][4][5] is a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Protea.[5]
In Afrikaans it is known as sneeugrondsuikerbos.[citation needed]
Protea lorea was first described by Robert Brown in his 1810 treatise On the Proteaceae of Jussieu,[2][6] from specimens collected by Francis Masson near the Cape of Good Hope in the early 1770s, and at that time in the herbarium collection of Joseph Banks.[6]
Description
The shrub forms a low mat of one metre in diameter.[5] It blooms in the summer,[4] from January to February,[5] with its large, yellow inflorescences appearing at ground level from small tufts of grass-like leaves.[4] The plant is hermaphroditic, with both sexes in each flower.[5] Pollination probably occurs through the action of birds.[5] The fruits are woody and persistent, which means they are retained on the plant after senescence. The seeds are kept within the dry fruit for a long period, they are released one to two years after the flowers were formed,[5] and are spread through means of the wind.[citation needed]
It is easily mistaken for the reed-like type of plants known as restios, with which it shares its habitat, and thus has often been overlooked in surveys of local flora.[3]
Distribution
Protea lorea is endemic to South Africa, where it is only found in the Western Cape,[3][4] from the Wemmershoek Mountains through the mountains of Kogelberg, Riviersonderend,[5] Langeberg,[3][5] and the Hottentots Holland Mountains of the Helderberg region,[4] to the towns of Ceres[3][5] and Caledon.[5]
Plants are spatially distributed as scattered individuals in localised areas.[5]