nytimes.com
14.11.2024 / 14:13
How the Protea Became a Symbol for South Africa
Before there were seven continents, there were proteas. Related to sycamores and to the sacred lotus, they’re native to what’s now Australia and South America, as well as to South Africa, where they’re most abundant in the Cape Floristic Region, a biodiverse swath of land in the country’s southwest. Wanderers of its peaks, valleys and dunes might miss the Protea nana, also known as the , or “shy flower,” because its bell-shaped blooms advance downward into the brush, but there are plenty of other species to see. (The name “protea” comes from the shape-shifting Greek god Proteus.) There’s the Pink Mink, whose petals are tipped with black hairs; the spiky-soft pincushion protea, with its dome of protruding styles; and the King protea, characterized by an oversize inflorescence featuring a ring of bracts surrounding an orblike grouping of velvety florets.