Protea laurifolia flowerhead

The open flowerhead of Protea laurifolia, one of the bearded proteas, is slightly obconical, the truncated cone section widening only slightly towards its hairy upper end.

The involucral bracts overlapping each other regularly in forming a container for the individual florets are pale pink. Bract-tips in the inner, taller rows have glossy black hair. The lower parts of bract margins are white-haired to silky-haired if hairy at all. Surface hairs on the bracts are very short where present and soft, velvety.

The tips of the short, outer bracts that did not acquire black colouring curve out (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist).