Today we feature South Africa’s national flower King Protea, Protea cynaroides, an endemic species of the western and eastern Cape. A hardy shrub thriving in poor soils, this plant has the ability to regenerate after fires from thick underground stems.
Protea is derived from the mythological Greek god, Proteus – master of change- relating to the variability in colour, size and form of this group. The flower bud resembles an artichoke, Cynara scolymus giving the plant it’s species name.
This is a great choice on Heritage day, to symbolize South Africa and her people – beautiful, colourful, diverse and resilient and of course the emblem of our much loved cricket team.
