KIDS’ PAGE

Plants, like animals and people, have different families. The protea family is very big. In South Africa, we have 361 different species!

Celebrate South Africa’s national flower – the protea!

How did it get its name?

A French botanist (plant expert) called Antoine Laurent de Jussieu gave these plants the family name Proteaceae. He was inspired by the Greek god Proteus, who was like a shapeshifter: He could take on many different appearances, much like our proteas.

Did you know?

Proteas mostly grow on mountain slopes in the Western Cape, Southern Cape and Eastern Cape, among other fynbos.

The Proteaceae family has been on earth for 140 million years. Dinosaurs might have eaten proteas!

Veld fires are good for proteas. Their seeds lie dormant underground and wait until a fire sweeps through the fynbos. The heat of the fire helps the seeds to germinate (put out shoots).

The protea is also called the sugarbush, because the flowers are full of nectar (the sweet liquid in the flower). People used to collect the nectar of one specific species, Protea repens, to make a syrup that was used as sugar or as medicine.

The conebush (see the cone in the middle?) is easy to recognise in the veld. Some proteas have soft hairs on the tips of their leaves, almost like a beard.

The prettiest protea is also the biggest: the king protea. It’s pink- and cream-coloured and blooms throughout the year. The flowers are huge: they can be up to 30 cm in diameter – the length of a ruler! It’s the national flower of South Africa.

This protea is called a pincushion, because that’s what it looks like!

Our national cricket team is called the Proteas. They have an emblem of the king protea on their shirts.

Guess where else you can see a king protea? On a 20c coin!