Sugar Bush (Protea mellifera)

Taxonomy and growth

Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Life cycle: perennial
Foliage: evergreen
Woodiness: woody
Height: 2.5 m
Spread: 2.5 m
Fertility: Bees
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Bees

Uses

Edible uses

The flowers are rich in nectar and this is often collected and used as a sweetener^[4]^[5]. It can be boiled down to make a syrup and is then often used medicinally^[4]^[5].

Product or use: Nectar

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

Antitussive, pectoral^[4]^[5].

Product or use: Antitussive

Product or use: Pectoral

Environment

Range: S. Africa.
Habitat: Mountain slopes to 300 metres^[6].
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: no shade
Water: moderate
Hardiness: Zone 9+
Soil textures: sandy
Soil pH: very acid, acid
Drainage: well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in individual pots in a greenhouse. See notes above on soil requirements. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood. July/August in a frame^[3].

Cultivation

Requires a very well-drained light soil^[1]^[2], preferably on the poor side^[3], with plenty of humus and sand^[1]. Requires a pH of 6.5 or lower^[3]. Plants are very sensitive to nitrates and phosphates in the soil, these can prove toxic even at moderate levels^[3]. Plants may also suffer from magnesium deficiency^[3]. Requires a position with good air circulation^[1]^[2], but sheltered from cold winds^[3]. Dislikes warm sultry or windless days^[1]^[2]. Requires full exposure to the sun^[3]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, but it can be grown outdoors in selected areas. Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -6°c, although prolonged frosts, or frosts combined with cold dry winds will cause damage^[2]. They are best grown in a cool greenhouse, but plants can be placed outdoors in the summer^[1]. A very ornamental plant^[1]. A good bee plant, providing an abundance of nectar^[4]. Many botanists see this species as no more than a synonym for P. repens. Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and should be grown in pots until they are planted into their final positions^[1].

Protea cynaroidesKing Protea
Protea repensSugar Bush
Banksia integrifoliaCoast Banksia
Banksia marginataSilver Banksia

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
RHS. The Garden. Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society 1988-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Adamson. and Salter. Flora of the Cape Peninsula.
↩