EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Protea Pose

Protea (Protea angolensis), Family Proteaceae
Nyika Plateau and National Park, Malawi

Explanation:  Here, we are in one of the most special of the "sky islands" of western Africa, the remote, isolated Nyika Plateau and National Park of northern Malawi.  We've been here before, exploring the dambo grasslands and a long elevational transect ... and, here, we are revisiting these flowering wonders, for a closer look.  

The flowering sequence in the above images are from different plants, at different flowering stages, but it shows the spectacular exposure of the full flower.  

With such a display, how then are protea plants pollinated?  At least one source suggests four main means:  by rodents, birds (especially sugarbirds and sunbirds), insects (especially beetles), and the wind, although wind pollination might occur only for other protea species occurring further south in Africa.  

And note the structure of the flower.  The center tangle of anthers is the flowering head, surrounded by a splayed-out array of outer and inner bracts.  

The protea plant is a native here in northern Malawi, and tends to die back following any fires or harsh cold conditions.  It was a pleasure and a treasure to observe these specimens in their native environments.