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IDM Zimbabwe - African Sugarbush - Protea gaguedi


The Savanna Sugarbushes are characterized by their hairy young stems. Flowerheads are medium-sized (about 50 mm across). The involucral bracts are generally covered with silky hairs. The petals are hairy, 20-50 mm long. Styles are more than 30mm long, usually straight or slightly curved, as long or longer than the involucral bracts. Both species produce flowerheads in clusters at the end of the branch tip, but Pr gaguedi does this only rarely.

Protea gaguedi - African Sugarbush

Leaves with sparse, silky hairs, hairless and glaucous when mature, elliptic to oblong to sickle-shaped, 12-30 mm wide, 80-170 mm long. Flowerhead depressed-globose, 50-70mm across. Involucral bracts with silvery, silky hairs, occasionally with a rusty brown margin. Petals 35-50 mm long. Plants 2-3m tall.

This is the bigger of the two Savanna Sugarbushes. Its hairs are less persistent, and usually grey or white, rarely brown. The leaves are 5-9 times longer than broad, and are seldom wider than 28 mm. The silver hairs on the outer involucral bracts are stable, but the hairs on the leaves fall off so that the mature leaves are hairless.

Pr gaguedi is the second most widespread of all Sugarbushes. In Namibia the reputed aphrodisiac properties of its roots have resulted in the species becoming extinct there.

This species tolerates drier conditions than other Sugarbushes, in Brachystegia woodlands andgrassland.

A solid black dot indicates where the species is found.

Protea gaguedi Distribution


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