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Afrikaanse Inligting
Hidden Sugarbush Gesigtoehousuikerkan - Protea recondita
The Hidden Sugarbush is a member of the Penduline Sugarbushes. All have hanging bowl-shaped flowerheads with a musty, yeasty odour.
The Hidden Sugarbush is the only Penduline Protea to totally hide its flowerheads with the uppermost leaves. Presumably the rats and mice which pollinate the flowerheads follow the peculiar odour.
A sweet, sticky nectar is their reward for pollination. The flowerheads have green bracts, there being no need for colourful displays.
The leaves are also the largest in the Penduline Proteas, with a grey or purple hue. This varies with the season, being most brightly coloured during the winter flowering season.
The Hidden Sugarbush occurs from Krakadouw to Groot Winterhoek Mountains, with an outlier on Piketberg. However, it is very rare outside of the KoueBokkeveld, occurring mainly as scattered plants above 1000 m, with a creeping habit. Only in the KoueBokkeveld does one find large stands of plants with a rounded bush habit.