2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Protea (Latin Protea) - a flowering dried-flower plant, which is a representative of the Protein family.
Description
Protea is a small tree, shrub or semi-shrub with rather hard leathery, elongated-oval leaves and abundantly branching lodging or vertical shoots of burgundy or brownish shades. Under natural conditions, the height of this plant is quite capable of reaching two meters, and the height of the proteas kept at home is usually in the range from sixty to seventy centimeters.
Numerous protea flowers with reduced corollas gather in large capitate inflorescences surrounded by spectacular leafy wrappers and can reach thirty centimeters in diameter. In this case, the leaves of the wrappers can have an arbitrarily varied color: pink, yellow, pink-lilac, and so on. By the way, these wrappers give a decorative look to inflorescences, and not flowers at all! And in many species of protea, outwardly, the inflorescences are very reminiscent of the fruits of an artichoke!
Karl Linnaeus gave such an interesting name to the plant - it is possible that he was guided by the name of an ancient Greek sea deity, capable of taking on a very diverse appearance at will.
Currently, the genus Proteus includes about a hundred species.
Where grows
Protea is native to South Africa. And, by the way, the flower of this plant is a symbol of South Africa! And for the wonderful sweetish juice and the abundance of nectar, the indigenous population of Africa called the Protea "a pot of honey"!
Usage
Large and very expressive, protea is ideal for creating a wide variety of interior compositions - you simply cannot find a better assistant for creating an incredibly attractive atmosphere of delicious tropical exoticism in a room! In arrangements, the protea is usually assigned the main role, and all other plants are subordinate to her.
Protees are usually given to purposeful and self-confident people, both women and men. And in the cut, this beauty will stand perfectly for more than two weeks! And also magnificent dried flowers are obtained from it, and in this form the protea can be stored for a very long time and successfully! Moreover, she is not afraid of even a very long-term transportation!
By the way, in the nineteenth century, proteas were incredibly popular in Europe - there they were grown not only in the houses of the nobility, but also in the winter gardens located at the courts of kings!
Growing and caring
Protea is perfectly adapted to survive even in the harshest conditions - it is not afraid of either extreme heat, or a prolonged absence of the slightest rainfall, or sands poor in nutrients. Moreover, many species of this plant form lignotubers for moisture storage - this name hides special organs that release moisture reserves (like bulbs) under extremely unfavorable conditions. Proteus care is completely undemanding!
Proteus is usually propagated in two ways - either by cuttings or by growing from seeds. And to speed up the germination process, some growers strongly recommend stratification of the seed - cool stratification means sending the seeds into a small plastic bag filled with slightly moistened river sand. This bag is tightly tied and placed for two months either in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator or on the glazed balcony (the temperature there should be within six to eight degrees).
