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The Cultivation of South African Proteaceae 
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creamy white, according to the variety. The 
plants are usually 3-5 ft. high (taller in semi- 
shaded situations) and throw new stems 
from the base of the plant. Flowering time 
is varible. 
Also outstanding is P. barbigera (big wool- 
ly Protea), bushes usually about 5 ft. high, 
with somewhat glaucous leaves. The heads 
are remarkable for the woolliness of the 
white-bearded tips of the involucre scales 
and center of the head. Colors are to be 
had in shades of pink, sometimes pale 
sulphur-pink, as well as white, in bloom 
from late winter into spring. Other showy, 
bearded species are: P. lepidocarpodendron 
(6-8 ft.), P. marginata (12 ft.), P. neriifolia, 
(8-10 ft.), P. stokoei (4 ft), P. speciosa (2 ft). 
With somewhat less beard are: P. grandiceps 
(4-5 ft.) and P. pulchella (3-5 ft., spreading). 
Among beautiful sypecies with beardless 
scales we can include P. compacta (8-10 ft., 
heads borne on long stems, ideal for cutting), 
P. mellifera (Sugar Bush) (6-10 ft.), P. obtus- 
ifolia (10 ft.). In one or two in this sect- 
ion, such as P. latifolia (8-10 ft.) and P. 
longifolia (5 ft.) the ‘centre’ is very attract- 
ive. é 
A further section could comprise those 
species wherein the attraction lies chiefly 
in the well-exposed styles, especially P. 
grandiflora (8-10 ft.) and P. longifiora (10 
ft., flower head with an involucre which 
lies wide open, almost water-lily-like). P. 
lacticolor (12-15 ft.) with small heads is 
also very charming. 
Among comparatively dwarf species, ment- 
ion should be made of P. rosacea (Mount- 
ain Rose) (3 ft.) with needle-like leaves 
and pendulous heads in wine-red or green, 
P. pityphylla (1-2 ft.), P. minor (1-2 ft.) 
and P. cedromontana (3 ft.). 
While the flowering season of the greater 
number in the genus may be regarded as 
winter and spring, there is no lack of species 
to complete the cycle of the year. 
Leucadendron 
In the genus Leucadendron the best 
known is probably L. argenteum (Silver 
Tree) about 30 ft. in height, with its silky 
silver-grey leaves. Other species fall into 
the shrub class, with a number of decorative 
species. Their beauty lies chiefly in the 
upper leaves surrounding each head becom- 
ing enlarged at flowering time and adopting 
bright coloration, notably shades, of yellow, 
often assuming beautiful tints in soma 
species as the leaves age. The genus, it 
should be noted, is dioecious and in Some 
cases the male, and in other cases the female 
plants, provide the greater, attractiveness, 
either in foliage or inflorescence, or both, 
as the case may be. Most species are at 
their best during winter and spring. 
Some of the most showy species, besides 
L. argenteum, are: L. adscendens (variable), 
L. acmulum (5-6 ft.), L. decorum (6-8 ft.), 
L. sericocephalum (6 ft.), L. venosum (4 ft.). 
Aulax 
Allied to Leucadendron is the genus Au- 
lax (the only other in the South African 
Proteaceae in which the species are dioec- 
ious). The male plants have the flowers in, 
small racemes, giving the inflorescence a 
feathery appearance, while the female planis 
have the flowers in the form of involucrate 
heads. The species represented are: A. 
cneorifolia (7 ft.), A. pallasia (8-10 ft.), 
A, pinifolia (8 ft.). All have very narrow 
leaves. 
Mimetes 
A genus of merit is Mimetes. Unfort- 
unately one or two beautiful species are 
somewhat rare in the wild and seldom found 
in cultivation. One or two may be on the 
verge of extinction. In this genus the heads 
are borne in the axils of the upper leaves 
which are sometimes colored bright pink 
when the flowers appear as, for example, in 
M. hyrigera (3-4 ft.) and M. hartogii (6-9 ft.), 
which are very colorful from late winter into 
the summer. M. hirta (5-6 ft.) has green, 
hairy leaves; other species have silver, hairy 
leaves. 
Orothamnus 
A monotypic genus is Orothamnus, which 
provides us with the rare Orothamnus zey- 
heri (Marsh Rose) (5-6 ft.) with its remark- 
able drooping flower heads in which the 
fleshy scales are a brilliant, translucent red. 
The plants are erect, with few stems,, bare 
below, and the heads are borne terminally. 
This rare species has been successfully 
raised and flowered at Kirstenbosch from 
seeds obtained from the wild. Further re- 
search into the behavior of this plant in 
cultivation will yield valuable data for its 
preservation from extinction. 
Serruria 
The genus Serruria provides among its 
numerous species at least one of outstand- 
ing beauty, namely S. florida (Blushing Bride) 
(3-5 ft.) whose delicate pink heads are borr.e 
on slender branches with divided leaves; the 
plants are only sparsely branched, and are 
sometimes comparatively short lived owing 
to their profuse and lengthy flowering habit, 
from early winter until thhe beginning of 
summer. On the verge of extinction in the 
wild on more than one occasion in recent 
times, it was first flowered at Kirstenbosch 
in 1917, and has since been very success- 
fully cultivated. For cut flowers and bou- 
quet work this plant is superb. S. rosea 
is very similiar. Other useful, albeit less 
showy, species are: S. aemula (5 ft.) and the 
neat, well-branched bushes of S. artemisae- 
folia (3-4 ft.). 
Paranomus 
The genus Paranomus deserves to be 
grown much more widely, especially P. re- 
flexa (5 ft.), a well-branched symmetric 
bush bearing masses of fairly large yellowish 
green pincushion-like heads during the wint- 
er. This plant is also interesting in that, 
though dimorphism, the lower leaves on 
the branches are divided while the upper 
enes are entire. P. crithmifolia (4 ft.) is 
attractive with its pinkish grey inflorescen- 
ces in spikes. 
Brabeium 
The genus Brabeium is represented by only 
one species, namely B. stellatifolium (Wild 
Almond( (15-20 ft.) It was used by Van 
Riebeeck for planting a hedge in 1660, port- 
ion of the original planting is still preserved 
at Kirstenbosch. The inflorescences of this 
plant are dense spike-like racemes borne in 
the axils of the leaves, followed later by vel- 
vety brown fruits. The leaves are arranged 
in whorles, unlike any other member of the 
Proteaceae. 
Propagation and Cultivation 
The most practical method of propagation 
is by seeds. Sowing of seed at the National) 
Botanic Gardens is done with the advent of 
the autumn and winter rains, about April. 
It has been found by general experience 
and investigation in this matter that the 
seeds are no doubt encouraged to germinate 
by the even, moist conditions, and that the 
seedlings likewise are benefited by the gen- 
erally cooler conditions, prevailing at that 
time of the year. Damping-off caused by 
high humidity or excessive wetness in the soil 
should therefore be one of the factors to be 
guarded against. 
Another factor is the question of sound 
seed. In some Protea spp. and others, the 
percentage of fertile seeds is very low indeed. 
In the case of the majority of Protea spp. 
the flower-heads require a year at least in 
which to ripen their seeds, and the heads re- 
main intact on the plants for a few years. 
Upon collecting and drying these older heads, 
the seeds are liberated. Leucospermum 
spp., Serruria spp. and Paranomus spp. ripen 
their seeds soon after the heads are over. 
Leucadendron spp. vary up to twelve months, 
according to species, the Silver Tree taking 
longer. 
The low percentage of fertile seeds in the 
case of certain Protea spp. has been ment- 
ioned. This is further complicated by the 
fact that the seeds are, in many cases, very 
hairy, rendering the task of picking out the 
plump, fertile seeds somewhat difficult, un- 
less the hairs are more or less rubbed off 
first. 
Seed Sowing 
Various methods of seed sowing have 
been tested at Kristenbosch over the years, 
and the best all-round results have invar- 
iably been obtained by sowing the seeds in 
nursery beds (fairly light soil, with which is 
incorporated some compost or leaf-mould). 
These beds should be in the open and not 
shaded in any way. 
The easiest method of sowing is by form- 
ing drills across the beds at, say, 6-9 inch 
intervals, the depth depending on the size 
of the seeds, an average depth being about 
3/4-1 inch. The drills can be easily be 
made by pressing a strip of wood into the 
bed to the requisite depth. The seeds arg 
spaced 1 inch apart in the drills, covered 
with a sandy mixture, firmed down, and the 
beds kept moist, the secret of success being 
the maintenance of an even degree of moist- 
ure. Should the degree of moisture fluctu- 
ate too greatly, germination can be seriously 
delayed, so much so that the seeds of Leu- 
cospermum spp. for instance, may remain 
dormant. 
Apart from fluctuations in soil moisture 
which should be guarded against, it may 
also, perhaps, be necessary to give protect- 
ion against disturbance of the beds by moleg 
or depredations by mice or birds, as alsa 
protection against excessive rain, or other 
abnormal conditions. 
Recent experimental work at Kirstenbosch 
in nursery-bed methods have shown that if 
these seed beds are prepared in garden 
frames (brick with the usual moveable lights) 
this is an ideal method. In this connection, 
if the frames are deep, it would be advisx 
able for the beds to be raised somewhat to 
provide maximum light and air for the seed- 
lings when they appear. 
Thinning of Seedlings 
Germination varies according to genera 
and species, being anything from three weekg 
and upwards, before the cotyledons show 
above ground. When the first true leaves 
are formed, the seedlings are ready for lift. 
ing, either for thinning into individual con- 
tainers or planting out into permanent pos- 
itions. It has been found that better resultg 
are usually obtained by ‘growing on’ thea 
seedlings for their first season in tins, for 
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