Chapter XII. 



THE PROTEA FAMILY. 



This family is a large one, and though containing great 

 variation in its flowers, they all conform to one type. This 

 so clearly marks it off from all others that there is never a 

 doubt as to whether a plant belongs here or not. The dis- 

 tribution of the family in the present day is almost con- 

 fined to South Africa and Australia ; a very few forms are 

 also found in South America and as far north as Japan. 

 We have twelve genera, and those most, likely to be noticed 

 are Honeysucklo, Hakea, Guitar Plant, and Waratah. 



The family owes its name to Protea, a South African 

 genus, which we sometimes find in our gardens. Protea 

 was given to it to mark the many forms assumed. 



The whole family can only be assumed to have descended 

 from a common slock, and as fossils undoubtedly belong- 

 ing to it have been discovered as far back as the Cretaceous 

 period, we are forced to the conclusion that it is an ancient 

 family that has migrated in response to changed conditions. 

 There are a great number of species both in Australia and 

 Africa, but there is not a single species, not even a genus, 

 common to both regions. The two places have their own 

 peculiar, forms, and they are also separated geographic- 

 ally, as no members of the family appear between East 

 Asia and Africa. The two groups mark lines of migration 

 in remote times. 



All members of the family have thick, hard leaves, 

 which in many cases are greatly reduced in surface. They 

 appear to have been adapted to dry, sunny conditions 

 in the life of their earliest ancestors. On Acacias and 

 Myrtles we found the same condition, but not as consist- 

 ently. Many forms of these have fairly thin leaves, but 

 amongst the Proteas all, without exception, have thick 

 leaves with impervious skins. It may be asked why, if a 

 race can acquire a foliage suited to reduced evaporation 

 when surrounding conditions require it, it does not again 

 assume thinner leaves when in a region of milder climate ? 

 The reason is probably that in the first case it was a 

 matter of life or death. Only a race could maintain itself 

 that had a tendency towards economising its water-supply; 

 while in the latter it can still live at least till the crowding 



