Shuttlecock Sugarbush

The shuttlecock sugarbush bears its distinctively shaped flower heads from January until June (2). The tiny flowers, or florets, in the centre of the flower head may produce male and female reproductive organs (stamens and pistil) and nectar, while those around the outside are sterile and so act solely as advertisements (7). This spectacular bouquet attracts birds, such as orange-breasted sunbirds (Anthobaphes violacea), which come to feed on the nectar, but simultaneously benefit the plant by carrying out pollination, as pollen rubs on and off the bird's forehead or bill (7) (8). The seeds of the shuttlecock sugarbush are dispersed by the wind (4). Fires that occur within their habitat kill the plant, but the seeds are able to withstand such temperatures, and survive to start a new generation (4). Many Protea species have developed a way of avoiding the summer drought by delaying seed germination until autumn, but not the shuttlecock sugarbush; the seeds may begin germinating in early summer and this species has no summer-avoiding dormancy period (9).

Within the Cape Floristic Region there are a number of protected areas (12), and a number of conservation organisations are working to conserve this botanically rich habitat (13) (14). One of these, De Hoop Nature Reserve, contains the endemic population of the subspecies P. a. potbergensis; however, as mentioned above, while this may protect against the threats of encroaching agriculture and urbanisation, invasive species still pose a threat (10).

The Protea family is South Africa's best known plant family (4), and contains an incredible diversity of flowering plants, from low shrubs to trees, and thus was named after the Greek sea god, Proteus, who possessed the ability to take on any form (5). The shuttlecock sugarbush is a large, erect shrub reaching a height of up to five metres (2) (4), with oblong to egg-shaped leaves (2). The most distinctive feature of this species is undoubtedly the shuttlecock-shaped flower heads, measuring 30 to 120 millimetres long, formed from a multitude of small flowers clustered closely together. Modified leaves encircling the flower heads are pink to creamy green (2).

The shuttlecock sugarbush grows on cool, sandstone, generally south-facing, slopes (2) (6).

Endemic to the Cape Floristic Region, a 'hot-spot' of plant diversity in south-western South Africa (2). Subspecies P. a. potbergensis is found only on the Potberg Mountains (4).

Subspecies Protea aurea potbergensis is classified as Near Threatened (NT) and Protea aurea aurea is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the Interim Red Data List of South African Plant Taxa 2007 (3).

The subspecies P. a. potbergensis is classified as Near Threatened (3), presumably due to its restricted location. This subspecies occurs within a nature reserve, (a protected area), but the natural habitat of this area still faces the severe threat of infestations of invasive plants, particularly rooikrans (Acacia cyclops) and Port Jackson (Acacia saligna) (10). While the shuttlecock sugarbush, as a species, is not considered threatened, urban expansion and agriculture pose a threat to the habitat of the Cape Floristic Region (11), to which this species is confined.

Protea aurea, the long-bud sugarbush, is a shrub or small tree with a single trunk occurring in mountain fynbos, usually on cool, moist, southern slopes. It is endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

The flowerheads are solitary and resemble a shuttlecock when open. Fruit is a densely hairy nut. Two subspecies are recognised: subsp. aurea and subsp. potbergensis with the later being rare and restricted to the Potberg.