Protea compacta

Protea compacta, the Bot River sugarbush and in Afrikaans the duinesuikerbos (dune sugar bush), is a single-stemmed shrub reaching heights from 2 m to 5 m. Only the young stems are hairy, and densely so, erect and sparsely branched to lanky, up to about 6 mm in diameter. The specific name, compactus, is a Latin word meaning strongly built, presumably referring to the growth habit.

The oval to oblong leaves are heart-shaped at the bases, rounded or obtusely pointed at the tips. The blades curve up and overlap, their margins sometimes red or slightly so and horny. Mature leaves are hairless and leathery with yellowish midribs visible, sometimes also some meandering lateral veins. Leaf dimensions are 5 cm to 13 cm long and 2 cm to 5,5 cm wide.

The species distribution in the southwest of the Western Cape is small, from around Betty’s Bay to east of Cape Agulhas.

The habitat is coastal fynbos slopes and flats below elevations of 200 m in sour ground. Dense stands may be seen, the species population in habitat deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century, although urban expansion, agriculture and alien plant invasion are taking their toll.

The flowerheads are extensively harvested and also cultivated commercially. The plant resembles P. eximia (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Mustart, et al, 1997; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).