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What is the most difficult species to atlas?

There are perhaps a number of different ways of viewing this question. We first have to make a few assumptions before this can be answered. Factors to consider are:

1. The protea is extremely rare and perhaps only regenerates after a number of fire cycles.
2. The protea is in an extremely inaccessible area due to altitude, distance, weather or the physical effort required to get there.
3. The protea is in a politically unstable area making it dangerous to visit the site.
4. The protea has not been seen for 50 years and is thus extinct.
5. The protea grows in an area for which permission cannot be obtained from a landowner.

Immediate assumptions are, that you are not allowed to fly in via a helicopter to get to the supposedly inaccessible protea and it must be growing in its natural habitat. Perhaps the first reason above encompasses the most romantic criteria to determine the most difficult protea to atlas but it does seem to me, to have a bit of luck involved and thus tarnishes its image. There is not much that can be done about overcoming the unfair criteria of 3, 4 and 5.

I am therefore going to settle for 2. That is to say; "the most difficult protea to atlas is one that is extremely inaccessible".

So, which of our proteas are extremely inaccessible? How about Pr nubigena, So crassifolius, Sp salsoloides, Pr venusta, Pr rupicola, Ld radiatum, Ld singulare, Ls secundifolium, Mi hottentoticus, Or zeyheri, Pr assymetrica, Pr caespitosa, Pr cryophila, Pr dracomontana inyanganiensis, Ve latebrosa or Sp colorata?

Any protea that can be closely reached by a 4X4 is hereby deemed to be a cheat and all such proteas are now excluded. This leaves Pr nubigena, Sp salsoloides, Ld radiatum, Mi hottentoticus, Or zeyheri and Pr dracomontana inyanganiensis. Distance to be hiked is not a serious problem to reach any of our proteas (remember any site will do, so the easiest one is assumed). Altitude to be gained is where the problem lies. How long therefore, does it take to walk to these species to the easiest known site and what altitude must be gained?

• Ld radiatum is 3-hour ascent and 860 m up.
• Mi hottentoticus is a 2-hour ascent and 500 m up.
• Or zeyheri is a 2-hour ascent and 400 m up.
• Pr dracomontana inyanganiensis is a 1-hour ascent and 340m up.
• Pr nubigena is a 3-hour ascent and 700 m up.
• Sp salsoloides is a 6-hour ascent and 1500 m up.

The most difficult protea to atlas by a long way in my view, due to its inaccessibility, is therefore Spatalla salsoloides.

Nigel Forshaw, Oakridge

A rider is definitely required here. The Sp salsoloides population that we found on Stettynsberg at the AGT this year is 200m up from the 4X4 road and a 0.25 hour walk. However, the most remote protea at present is the new Conebush, but that is a simple, but long, walk. See you there soon Nigel! Tony

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