This common and characteristic Protea of the Drakensbergen we figure here for the first time. It appears to have been originally collected by Burke and Zeyher on the Magaliesberg, and was described by Meisner and named after Mrs. Rouppell, who published an illustrated book of Cape flowers.
P. Rouppelliae forms extensive thickets on the slopes of the Drakensbergen, and in this respect resembles P. mellifera, P. lepidocarpodendron and P. neriifolia of the Cape Province. The species belongs to the same section of the genus as P. compacta, figured on Plate 84.
The specimens from which the accompanying Plate was painted were collected by Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, C.M.G., at the Devil’s Kantoor in the Barberton District of the Transvaal.
Description:—A small tree 8 to 15 ft. high; branches villous or tomentose above, at length glabrescent. Leaves 10 to 15 cm. long, 2 to 4 cm. broad at the widest part, 4 mm. broad at the base, oblong-lanceolate or obovate-spathulate, acute, the younger densely villous or tomentose, at length glabrous, narrowed at the base, reticulately veined. Head shortly peduncled, 7 to 9 mm. long, 5 to 10 cm. in diameter. Involucral bracts 10-seriate, silky-tomentose, deep pink to pinky-white; outer ovate, obtuse, recurved to revolute, ciliate; inner with an obovate to obovate-oblong limb, gradually passing into the claw, shortly ciliate above, exceeding the flowers; perianth-sheath 4·5 cm. long, dilated and[{56}] 3-keeled and 7-nerved below, loosely villous above the dilated portion; lip 3 cm. long, 3-awned, spreadingly villous; lateral awns 1·2 cm. long, linear, acuminate, purple, tomentose to villous; median awn 8 mm. long; fertile stamens 3; filaments 1 mm. long, flattened; anthers linear, 3 mm. long; apical glands 0·5 mm. long, oblong, acute; barren stamen acute, eglandular; ovary 4 mm. long, obovate in outline, densely covered with numerous long golden hairs; style 5 cm. long, curved, somewhat flattened, keeled below on the convex side, usually more or less shortly villous; stigma 4 mm. long, curved and kneed at the junction with the style. (Flora Capensis; National Herb. Pretoria, No. 2836.)
Plate 133.—Fig. 1, receptacle; Fig. 2, inner bract; Fig. 3, single flower; Fig. 4, pistil.
F.P.S.A., 1924.