Protea nitida stem-tip leaves

The leaves of the waboom or Protea nitida adopt their familiar bluish mature colour after the youthful rosy phase of new growth seen at the tip of the branch in picture. In fact, there is very little actual green on either of the waboom foliage forms displayed here; the older leaves being more blue-white than blue-green.

The burst of new growth was probably stimulated by some early rain as the photo was taken early in March at the end of the dry season in the Jonkershoek valley. The leathery texture is also not yet evident on these young leaves. The leaf midrib remains visible through both stages, while the slightly protruding tip on the young leaf becomes evenly rounded later. There is still a glimpse of red on the margins of the older leaves.

Just observing the series of P. nitida photos presented here brings the realisation of more leaf differences. Granted, some of them result from the vagaries of photography. Different cameras, settings and options for pressing buttons and turning knobs bring a myriad of colour outcomes. Personal styles of photographers, light, angles and more factors will impact on these picture products, sometimes delude botany students about the true nature of a plant.

Those that have the opportunity go and see a plant for themselves in the garden or preferably in nature. Such inspections strengthen the concept held of the species. Catching every plant in every stage, focussing on even few genera generates so much information that the task grows beyond the capacity of the individual.

Then comes the realisation that the plant is a unique living thing, the reality kicks in of seasonal changes, life stages and intraspecies variations. And worse: Every moment of a plant living in any specific conditions brings its own reality, contributing to unique responses in appearance. Just put the house plant outside for a few days or check the garden after rain. Understanding all this begins with appreciating differences among people, the life stages in one person and events impacting on one person.

Human memory may have poorer categories for storing perceived attributes such as finer nuances of colour or sound for accurate recall; a bit better for physical shape or behaviours for which more category names exist. This is compounded by observer differences in the records they generate and in the individual differences in memory. Like forgetting a name at the critical moment after knowing it for years. One may forget a spouses name during an introduction, seldom the incident.

Spare a thought for the witness under interrogation in court. The ancient Greek philosophers despaired of human ability for mastering objective knowledge obtained via the senses. Still, somehow we learn stuff and function more or less rationally until one day...