Protea compacta old flowerhead

The flowerheads of Protea compacta grow solitary at stem-tips. They are narrowly cup-shaped, oblong to inversely conic. The pink, occasionally white involucral bracts in six or seven rows are pale downy and hair-fringed. The longest, inner row of bracts are spoon-shaped, the outer ones shorter, usually not brown along their margins. Flowerhead dimensions are from 9 cm to 12 cm long and from 7 cm to 10 cm wide. 

The florets cohere in a cone-topped structure before they open. The slightly curved styles are from 6 cm to 7 cm long, their pollen presenters up to 12 m long and bent where they meet the styles. In picture most florets have opened, the free pollen presenters red and arrow-tipped with styles greenish brown lower down. The last few florets not yet open in the centre are grey and hairy-tipped, their styles not far from discarding the perianth segments. Maybe the perianths are all curvy from the pollen presenters partly withdrawn from them? The upper involucral bracts, purplish pink in two shades, are strongly white-fringed along their margins.

Flowering happens from before midautumn to early spring.

The seeds are retained in old heads, released by fire (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Mustart, et al, 1997; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist).