Protea mundii

Protea mundii, the forest sugarbush or white sugarbush, is an erect shrub or small tree reaching heights from 3 m to 8 m, while trees of 13 m have been mentioned (SA Tree List No. 93). This is the South African Protea species growing the tallest, as one might expect from the forest sugarbush.

The straight, main trunk may become 25 cm in diameter. The bark is smooth and grey to grey-brown, sometimes with horizontal bands in different shades. Hairs are only present on the young stems that are dull reddish to brown, also erect.

The main distribution of the species is in the southern Cape in a coastal strip from George to Uitenhage. A secondary, smaller distribution exists separately from the Kogelberg to Hermanus. The photo was taken near the Many Waters farm in the Langkloof.

The habitat is moist, sandstone fynbos on rocky slopes, along streambanks, in ravines and indigenous forest margins, where it may be a pioneer. The plants grow at elevations from 200 m to 1300 m, those coping with drier conditions usually found at higher altitudes. Dense stands may occur. In the westerly distribution the stands are associated with forest patches or places where there used to be forest. The habitat population is considered of least concern early in the twenty first century (Venter, 2012; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).