Protea. | PROTEACE (Stapf). 553 
all we know, they may have become extinct. At the same time there is some 
chance of finding them again, and they have therefore been put on record and 
described as fully as possible from the plates. Another source of difficulty is 
the apparent variability of the vegetative parts of the plants. This is borne out 
in a few cases by the material in the herbaria, and in the others by the collectors’ 
notes. In such instances it has been possible to connect extreme forms, differ- 
ing in their habit or in the shape and size of their leaves ; but in others similarly 
divergent forms were treated as specifically distinct, as it was considered inexpedient 
to reduce them on purely hypothetical grounds. The species group themselves 
quite naturally round certain forms as centres, or they stand rather isolated, as 
e.g. P. mellifera, These relationships have found expression in the creation of 
a number of sections. Some of them will possibly be found to overlap or to 
run into each other when more material is available and a closer examination 
of the structure of the flower and fruit is possible. The sections are therefore 
in a sense provisional, at least in their limitation. : 
Synopsis or SECTIONS. 
A. Small trees, shrubs or undershrubs with a distinct overground stem (see 62, 
P. cynaroides and 44, P. tena) ; heads always terminal. 
Heads large 4-8 (rarely 3) in. long; inner involucral 
bracts exceeding or equalling the flowers ; perianth- 
lip 8-awned, awns 3-15 lin, long, villous or woolly: 
Leaves sessile : 
Inner involucral bracts with usually broad rounded 
_ tips fringed with a long villous whitish, 
fulvous or deep-purple to black beard ce I. Speciosz. 
Inner involucral bracts with a long claw and an 
oblong or oblanceolate, obtusely pointed, 
shortly villous or glabrous limb dew ae If. Liautata. 
- Inner involucral bracts not clearly differentiated 
into limb and claw, glabrous ... a as ALL, MRLLIFERE, 
Leaves long petioled ; involucral bracts acute, tomen- 
- tellous allover... ie ea jy --. VIII, CynarormpEZ, 
Heads medium-sized to small, rarely up:to 4 in. long ; 
inner involucral bracts equalling, or shorter than, 
the styles, or if exceeding them, then the heads 
small; perianth-lip 3-toothed, teeth rarely exceed- 
sas ¥ as 
tends medium-sized, 24-4 in. long ; involucral bracts 
silky-tomentose or finely silky-pubescent, rarely 
nearly glabrous ; flowers (or styles) 14 to over 
3 in. long, exserted from the involucre or equal- 
ling it; perianth-lip 5-9 lin. long, glabrous or 
Perianth-sheath very slender, soon spirally coiled 
up and withdrawn from the long exserted 
styles ; lip more or less glabrous apart from 
the villously tufted teeth Ae Be oe IV.. EXserTa. 
Perianth-sheath firmer, not spirally coiled up ; 
lip villous or pubescent all over Ce ae V. Lasio- 
CEPHALA. 
‘Heads medium-sized to small, not over 2 in. long, 
or if so, then the base contracted into a scaly 
stipes ; involucral bracts glabrous or nearly so, 
rarely tomentose (41, P. caffra) ; flowers under 
1? in. long, exserted from or enclosed in the 
f involucre ; perianth-lip 2-5 (rarely up to 6 or 7) 
