Protea coronata

Protea coronata, commonly known as the green sugarbush, is an erect, mostly single-stemmed but well-branched shrub reaching 3 m in height, occasionally becoming a small tree of 5 m tall (SA Tree List No. 91.1).

The species distribution is in the mountains along the south coast of the Western Cape, continuing from Table Mountain to the west of the Eastern Cape, the Tsitsikamma Mountains and as far as Gqeberha, but with at least two gaps in the range. The photo of this large stand was taken near Greyton.

The habitat is shale and sandstone fynbos, scrub and renosterveld slopes and high rainfall montane areas. The plants may occupy fallow land in the weedy sense within its habitat. Although the plants are susceptible to destruction by fire, they both reseed and resprout, contributing to their survival via the two complementing processes. The population in habitat is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

P. coronata is not seen in gardens often enough. It adapts well to a variety of soil types within a moderately acidic range and reasonably well-drained, although the plant is also found in heavy clay soils lacking ideal drainage. It will perform in summer rainfall areas with some winter watering. As a popular cut flower, P. coronata brings a good option to the florist. A shrub should last around ten years in the garden and can reach 2 m within four years in favourable conditions; so give it space! This sugarbush is less successful in the export market than some other proteas. This may be due to high occupancy from insects inside the flowerheads. Stowaways are not welcomed by customs officials at border controls anywhere!

Historically P. coronata was one of the most common species on the slopes of Table Mountain in the early days of the Cape Colony, where it was not highly regarded by the populace. They used it as firewood (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://protea.worldonline.co.za; http://redlist.sanbi.org).