and do not have showy colours which attract birds or insects. According to one source, periodic wildfires will destroy the adult plants, but the seeds can survive such an occurrence. Another two references clarify that it is a long-lived species and only the above-ground organs are destroyed. It survives fires by re-sprouting from its thick rootstock and underground stems, and in fact fire even seems to stimulate new growth. Flowers usually appear three years after a fire has passed over a territory. Without fire, plants can become weak and have a diminished capacity to flower and set seed, a situation easily reversed after fire. Horticulture It is not a showy species. Propagation by means of cuttings has not yet been achieved, so in order to grow new plants one must sow the seed. It is not easy to grow. The flower heads are inadequate for use as a cut flower, being infrequent and having a short stalk. It was first introduced into cultivation around 1930 at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Seeds need a smoke treatment to help them germinate, and a fungicide treatment while still seeds helps keep the seedlings alive. They require a light, well-drained substrate. In South Africa the best sowing time is in the autumn. Seedlings need sun, good air circulation, and prefer temperatures of 1 to 11 °C. Germination occurs after about six weeks. It requires regular watering in its first two years of growth. It prefers a sunny open situation in the garden and to not be disturbed after planting out. Good drainage is required and too much water can kill the plants. Pruning the old flower heads and the stems supporting them down to the ground, will encourage the rhizomes below to send up new growth of flower-bearing branches. Conservation This is a species which has been rare for a long time. It was first assessed as 'vulnerable' in 1980. It was again assessed as 'vulnerable' in 1996, this time by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), but it now is considered 'endangered', having first being assessed as such in 2005, and again in 2009, in the Red List of South African Plants maintained by SANBI. It is mainly being threatened by habitat loss due to urban expansion. Other threats constitute invasive plant species, as well as other Protea species! These plants are being grown in orchards in its former habitat for the