PLANTAE / PHANEROGAMAE / ANTHOPHYTA / PROTEALES / PROTEACEAE / PROTEOIDEAE / PROTEEAE / PROTEA / LAETANS
Slender, erect tree, 2-5 m tall, usually with 2-6 stems arising from a lignotuber, occasionally with a single main trunk, 50-150 mm in diam.; sparsely branched, the lower branches devoid of leaves; bark grey, becoming black and reticulately fissured with age. Stems glabrous 7-10 mm in diam., the leaves clustered on the ultimate and penultimate growth increments. Leaves subsessile, narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, occasionally subfalcate, 100-200 mm long, 15-35 mm wide, tapering in the petiolar region; apices acute to subacute; coriaceous, glabrous, glaucous, with a fine yellow margin. Inflorescence shallowly cyathiform at anthesis, 80-100 mm in diam.; stipitate, stipe 10-25 mm long, covered with small, tightly imbricate, sericeous to subsericeous scales. Involucral receptacle flat, 15-20 mm in diam. Involucral bracts 5-6 seriate, deep carmine, particularly on inner surface; outer series very broadly ovate, acute, 7-12 mm long, 8-15 mm wide, densely sericeous with a fine silvery or tawny-ferruginous indumentum, tightly imbricate; inner series loosely arranged, oblong, 15-20 mm long, apices rounded, concave slightly incurved covered with a silvery sericeous or rufous indumentum except along the glabrous, scarious margins. Perianth straight in bud, 50-60 mm long; tube 15-20 mm long, glabrous externally, and prominently ridged, glabrous internally but sericeous along the inner distal lips of tube; claws short, filiform; limbs broadening abruptly, linear, acute, 20 mm long, very densely velutinous to tomentose with a tawny to ferruginous indumentum. Anthers 4, subsessile, 12-15 mm long. Style slightly adaxially arcuate, 50-55 mm long, glabrous. Pollen presenter filiform, 10 mm long, not clearly differentiated from style; longitudinally grooved. Ovary obconic, 5 mm long, covered with long, straight, tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales ovate-acute, 1.5 mm long. Essentially autumn flowering, the first inflorescence buds begin opening towards the end of March though the peak of the flowering period is in April and May. From: Rourke, JP. 1980. The proteas of southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town. [All rights reserved]
Slender tree, up to 5 m high. Multistemmed at base. Involucral bracts deep carmine, densely sericeous with fine silvery or tawny, ferruginous indumentum. Perianth with claws very densely velutinous to tomentose with tawny to ferruginous indumentum. From: Retief, E; Herman, PPJ. 1997. Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters. Strelitzia 6: 1-681. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
Mostly multiple-stemmed at the base, this species only occasionally develops a single main trunk. Instead, anything up to six, slender, erect, sparingly branched stems (up to 10 cm in diam.), arise from the basal rootstock, giving the adult tree a very upright but open growth habit. Mature trees may be from 2 to 5 metres in height. Initially the bark is smooth, grey and irregularly mottled but becomes black and reticulately fissured with age. A measure of protection against grass fires is provided by the thick bark. Even when quite severely burnt, regeneration takes place from the sub-cortical layers of the remaining stems. No other protea from the summer rainfall area of South Africa can match the vivid colouring of P. laetans. The bracts are an intense glowing carmine overlaid with a fine velvety indumentum of silvery hairs but in some individuals there may also be patches of chestnut brown hairs on the bracts. From: Rourke, JP. 1980. The proteas of southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town. [All rights reserved]
Protea laetans generally forms a low sparse woodland, either in almost pure stands with a grass understory or in association with Faurea galpinii and Bequaertiodendron magalismontanum on rocky slopes. Throughout its distribution area P. laetans shows a marked preference for the acidic soils formed where there are outcroppings of Black Reef Quartzite, at elevations between1000 and 1 400 metres. From: Rourke, JP. 1980. The proteas of southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town. [All rights reserved]
Grassland, rocky hillsides. From: Retief, E; Herman, PPJ. 1997. Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters. Strelitzia 6: 1-681. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
At the time of writing, only one major stand of P. laetans is known. This population, consisting of several thousand individuals, is situated on a south-east-facing hillside above the F. H. Odendaal holiday resort on the Blyde River escarpment, in the Eastern Transvaal Drakensberg. In addition, a few scattered specimens growing in association with P. caffra and P. gaguedi, occur south of the main population along the road to Bourke's Luck. It is of course quite possible that further groups will be found when the area is better explored botanically. From: Rourke, JP. 1980. The proteas of southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town. [All rights reserved]
May
1000 to 1400 m
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
Occurrence in the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, naturalised or invasive in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature
FSA
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
Published in: J. S. African Bot. 41(4): 207 (1975)
Protea gaguedi J.F.Gmel. subsp. laetans (L.E.Davidson) Beard
Published in: Proteas of Trop. Afr.: 54 (1992)
| Common name | Language | Reference/barcode | Published as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blyde protea | English | Van Wyk, AE; Van den Berg, E; Coates Palgrave, M; Jordaan, M. 2011. Dictionary of names for southern African trees. Briza, Arcadia. | |
| Blyde protea | English | Von Breitenbach, JM; De Winter, B; Poynton, R; Van den Berg, E; Van Wyk, AE. 2001. Pocket list of southern Africa indigenous trees. Briza publications & Dendrological foundation, Pretoria. | |
| Blyde sugarbush | English | Van Wyk, AE; Van den Berg, E; Coates Palgrave, M; Jordaan, M. 2011. Dictionary of names for southern African trees. Briza, Arcadia. | |
| Blyde sugarbush | English | Von Breitenbach, JM; De Winter, B; Poynton, R; Van den Berg, E; Van Wyk, AE. 2001. Pocket list of southern Africa indigenous trees. Briza publications & Dendrological foundation, Pretoria. | |
| Blydesuikerbos | Afrikaans | South African National Biodiversity Institute. 1991. Protea Atlas. | |
| blydesuikerbos | Afrikaans | Van Wyk, AE; Van den Berg, E; Coates Palgrave, M; Jordaan, M. 2011. Dictionary of names for southern African trees. Briza, Arcadia. | |
| Blyde-suikerbos | Afrikaans | Von Breitenbach, JM; De Winter, B; Poynton, R; Van den Berg, E; Van Wyk, AE. 2001. Pocket list of southern Africa indigenous trees. Briza publications & Dendrological foundation, Pretoria. |
Classification
KINGDOM Plantae
SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae
PHYLUM Anthophyta
ORDER Proteales
FAMILY Proteaceae
SUBFAMILY Proteoideae
TRIBE Proteeae
GENUS Protea
SPECIES laetans
28 results for Protea laetans L.E.Davidson
Barcode: NBG0107954-1 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2681 | 1975-5-5
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Pilgrims Rest Dist., Blyde Canyon Reserve, Eastern Transvaal Drakensberg.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0557203-0 Collector(s) & number: Walters, CM, 134 | 1978-5-18
South Africa, Mpumalanga, BLYDERIVIERPOORT ONT
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0107954-2 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2681 | 1975-5-5
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Pilgrims Rest Dist., Blyde Canyon Reserve, Eastern Transvaal Drakensberg.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0107954-3 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2681 | 1975-5-5
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Pilgrims Rest Dist., Blyde Canyon Reserve, Eastern Transvaal Drakensberg.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0105884-1 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2078 | 1972-4-12
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. Hill above Blyde Holiday Resort.
General notes: (Dup. from Moss Herbarium).
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0102685-2 Collector(s) & number: Rourke, JP, 1435 | 1974-9-30
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. S.E. slopes of Blyde Canyon Escarpment directly above F.H. Odendaal Camp on Kadish River.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0102685-4 Collector(s) & number: Rourke, JP, 1435 | 1974-9-30
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. S.E. slopes of Blyde Canyon Escarpment directly above F.H. Odendaal Camp on Kadish River.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0158186-2 Collector(s) & number: Rushworth, JE, s.n. | 1996-8-29
South Africa, Limpopo, On the farm Chester 235, north east of Mariepskop.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0538816-0 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2681 | 1975-5-5
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Drakensbeerg Blyde Canyon Reserve.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0228095-0 Collector(s) & number: Walters, CM, 134 | 1978-5-18
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Blyderivierpoort. Ontspanningsoord.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: LNBG$0002393-0 Collector(s) & number: Onderstall, JJH, 835 | 1982-9-28
South Africa, Limpopo, H.F.Odendaal Camp Blyde River Canyon.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0107122-0 Collector(s) & number: Rushworth, JE, PRE 62360 | 1996-8-29
South Africa, Limpopo, Pilgrims Rest District: On the Farm Chester 235; North East of Mariepskop.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0158186-1 Collector(s) & number: Rushworth, JE, s.n. | 1996-8-29
South Africa, Limpopo, On the farm Chester 235, north east of Mariepskop.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0105884-2 Collector(s) & number: Davidson, LE, 2078 | 1972-4-12
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. Hill above Blyde Holiday Resort.
General notes: (Dup. from Moss Herbarium).
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0102685-5 Collector(s) & number: Rourke, JP, 1435 | 1974-9-30
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. S.E. slopes of Blyde Canyon Escarpment directly above F.H. Odendaal Camp on Kadish River.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0556762-0 Collector(s) & number: Fourie, SP, 1035 | 1980--
South Africa, Mpumalanga, BLYDERIVIER NAT. RES; F H ODENDAAL RESTCAMP
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0102685-1 Collector(s) & number: Rourke, JP, 1435 | 1974-9-30
South Africa, Mpumalanga, Transvaal. S.E. slopes of Blyde Canyon Escarpment directly above F.H. Odendaal Camp on Kadish River.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0102685-3 Collector(s) & number: Rourke, JP, 1435 | 1974-9-30
South Africa, Limpopo, Transvaal. S.E. slopes of Blyde Canyon Escarpment directly above F.H. Odendaal Camp on Kadish River.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
1997
SERIES
Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters Retief, E; Herman, PPJStrelitzia 6: 1-681
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
1993
1980
1975
PERIODICAL/JOURNAL
A new species of Protea in the Transvaal Davidson, LEJournal of South African Botany 41: 207-210
No results found for Protea laetans L.E.Davidson
Status and criteria
EN
Assessor(s)
Plantae Coordinator
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