Protea cordata old flowerhead

In this old Protea cordata flowerhead the broadly rounded involucral bracts attenuate to narrowly pointed tips. They do not curve in sufficiently to deny a glimpse of the erect, incurving styles tipped with white, oblong stigmas. The bract margins in picture are partly hairy and coarsely toothed, the surfaces unevenly wrinkled in various shades of brown.

Earlier the head was redder, the floret perianths creamy with red tips when they still held the styles captive. The heads grow axillary, clustered at the stem-base. They are cup-shaped, up to 5 cm in diameter.

The yeast-scented heads attract rodent pollinators, probably mostly at night. The pollen presenters are only 3 mm long (Bean and Johns, 2005; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist; https://www.fernkloof.org.za).