Protea gaguedi flowerhead

The flowerheads of Protea gaguedi grow solitary, occasionally occur in clusters at stem-tips above the leaves. They are globose to flattened at the top, from 4 cm to 11 cm in diameter.

The involucral bracts overlap in several rows. They are pale green, densely covered in short, silvery hairs and sometimes with rusty brown margins. The bracts spread widely in the open flowers. The white or sometimes pinkish perianths are densely hairy to fluffy as in the photo and strongly fragrant, not always a pleasant odour.

The flowering season is variable, in South Africa from late winter to summer, peaking towards summer. The flowers attract birds and beetles.

The fruit is a hairy nutlet. The involucre remains on the plant, shallowly cup-shaped, long after the dry fruits have been dispersed (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist).