Protea cynaroides flowerhead

Sima Eliovson (1973) presented Protea cynaroides as possibly the most spectacular flower in the world. Her description: “The wide-spaced pointed bracts of the king protea are ringed evenly around the central snowy peak of hairy flowers.”

She noted another significant comparison: “half-way between a daisy and an artichoke.” The scientific name contains the epithet, cynaroides, which means resembling (the flowerhead of) the artichoke. This is only partly helpful as there is much more to the king protea flowerhead than to either the artichoke or the daisy, depending on personal taste. But taste differences should be respected, not disputed.