See text Protea (/ˈproʊtiːə/[2]) is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: suikerbos).

[3] About 92% of the species occur only in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mountainous coastal land from Clanwilliam to Grahamstown, South Africa.

Evidence from pollen fossils suggests Proteaceae ancestors grew in Gondwana, in the Upper Cretaceous, 75–80 million years ago.

[7] The Proteaceae are divided into two subfamilies: the Proteoideae, best represented in southern Africa, and the Grevilleoideae, concentrated in Australia and South America and the other smaller segments of Gondwana that are now part of eastern Asia.

All the florets open big enough for small and medium beetles to land and feed on their nectar before flying to other heads pollinating them in the process.

The common Proteaceae plants, e.g. Protea, Leucospermum, and Leucadendron are diploid organisms, thus they can freely hybridize with closely related species to form new cultivars.

[10] The cultivation of a Protea plant is time-consuming, so good planning when developing the cross combinations and goals are of great importance of the breeding programme.