John Patrick Rourke

Protea aurea, the long-bud sugarbush, is a shrub or small tree with a single trunk occurring in mountain fynbos, usually on cool, moist, southern slopes. It is endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. The flowerheads are solitary and resemble a shuttlecock when open. Fruit is a densely hairy nut. Two subspecies are recognised: subsp. aurea and subsp. potbergensis with the later being rare and restricted to the Potberg.

Vexatorella is a genus containing four species of flowering plant, commonly known as vexators, in the family Proteaceae. The genus is endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. The name means “little trouble-maker”, given with reference to the initial difficulties of placing V. latebrosa within the family. All species are shrubs which occur in dry fynbos habitats on the fringes of the Succulent Karoo ecoregion. The inflorescences are similar to those of the related leucospermums but also share features of the leucadendrons, with the floral bracts becoming woody and enlarged

Protea subulifolia, the awl-leaf sugarbush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the Protea genus. The plant is native to the Western Cape and occurs from the Stettynskloof to Riviersonderendberge, Langeberg, Bot River to the Elim plain. The plant grows 50 cm in diameter and 70 cm tall and flowers from July to September. Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. The seeds are stored in a shell and spread by the wind. The plant is unisexual. Pollination takes place through the action of rats and mice. The plant grows in sandy to heavy clay soils at heights of 60-1 300 m. The leaves are

Protea inopina, the large-nut sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the well-known Protea genus. The plant is endemic to the Western Cape, rare, extremely isolated and occurs only in the Olifants River mountains near Palace Hill.

Protea holosericea, commonly known as the Sawedge Sugarbush, is a flowering shrub belonging to the Protea genus . The plant is endemic to South Africa and is found only on Sawedge Peak and Rabiesberg, two adjacent peaks in the Kwadousberg Mountains in the Western Cape. The shrub has an erect to sprawling habit, grows up to 1.2 m high, and blooms from September to October. Possible wildfires can destroy the mature plants, but the seeds will survive such an event. The seeds are stored in the flowerheads, released after fires and spread by the wind. The plant is monoecious with both sexes in

Mimetes chrysanthus (also called golden pagoda) is an evergreen, upright shrub of 1½–2 m (5–6½ ft) high that has been assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has green, slightly stalked oval leaves of 3–4½ cm (1.2–1.8 in) long and 1–1¾ cm (0.4–0.7 in) wide. The inflorescences are near the tip of the branches, cylinder-shaped and consist of 50–70 densely cropped flower heads, each in the axil of a green leaf, consisting of 25–35 golden yellow, faintly sweet scented flowers. It is endemic to the Fynbos ecoregion of South Africa and is found in two locations, in the Western Cape province. The

Leucospermum cuneiforme is an upright evergreen shrub with many pustules growing on the lower branches, wedge-shaped leaves, and oval, initially yellow flower heads that later turn orange, with long styles sticking far beyond the perianths, jointly giving the impression of a pincushion. It is called wart-stemmed pincushion in English and luisiesbos (lice-bush) in Afrikaans. The species is common in the southern mountains of South Africa.

Kogelbergia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Stilbaceae described as a genus in 2000. The entire genus is endemic to the Cape Province region of South Africa. Species Kogelbergia phylicoides (A.DC.) Rourke Kogelbergia verticillata (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Rourke

Diastella fraterna, commonly known as the palmiet silkypuff, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae native to South Africa.

Vexatorella obtusata is an evergreen shrub, with narrow, leathery leaves and about 2 cm big, globular flowerheads consisting of well scented, creamy pink flowers, from which a long style with a thickened tip extends. Two subspecies are distinguished, both restricted to different parts of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The creeping V. obtusata subsp. obtusata, also known as the Montagu vexator flowers from September to December, and the upright V. obtusata subsp. albomontana, also known as the Witteberg vexator, that has flowers between August and November.

Vexatorella alpina, the Kamiesberg vexator, is an evergreen, upright shrub of up to about 1½ m high, in the family Proteaceae. It has entire, long inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves of 3–4½ cm (1.2–1.8 in) long and 5–13 mm (0.2–0.5 in) wide on a distinct stalk, and globular flower heads of about 2 cm (0.8 in) across at the tip of the branches, and consisting of pale pink flowers with extended, thick-tipped styles. The plants are flowering from September to November. It is an endemic species that is restricted to the Kamiesberge in South Africa.

Spatalla confusa the long-tube spoon is a flowering shrub native to the Western Cape Province of South Africa, where it forms part of the fynbos. It is found in the Cederberg up to the Hottentots Holland Mountains, Swartberg and Kammanassie Mountains

Protea scolopendriifolia, also known as the harts-tongue-fern sugarbush or hart's-tongue-fern sugarbush, is a flowering shrub endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in both the Western and Eastern Cape. It is found from the Cederberg, through the Kogelberg, Riviersonderend Mountains and Swartberg, to the Kouga Mountains. It blooms in Spring, from September to December. It produces underground rhizomes from which shoots bud off, especially after wildfires. The whole plant that emerges from these rhizomes can be up to 1 metre across. The seed is retained in the seed-head for a considerable

Protea pruinosa, also known as frosted sugarbush or burnished protea, is a flowering shrub which belongs to the genus Protea within the botanical family Proteaceae. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa.

Protea nubigena, commonly known as cloud sugarbush, is a very rare species of a flowering shrub belonging to the Protea genus. It is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is found in the uKhahlamba Basalt Grassland within the Royal Natal National Park, near Mont-Aux-Sources, at an altitude of about 2,250 metres (7,380 ft) in well-drained, humus-rich soil on shaded slopes.

Protea foliosa, also known as the leafy sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea in the family Proteaceae which is endemic to the Cape Region of South Africa. In the Afrikaans language it is known as ruie-suikerbos.

Mimetes arboreus, or Kogelberg pagoda, is an evergreen, upright large shrub or small tree of 2–6 m (6½–20 ft) high in the family Proteaceae. It grows from a thick trunk with a smooth grey bark that branches at ½–1 m (1½–3 ft) above the ground. It has silvery, lance-shaped, pointy leaves of 5–8¼ cm (2.0–3.3 in) long and ¾–3¼ cm (0.3–1.3 in) wide, at an upward angle and overlapping each other. The inflorescences are set just below the top of the branches, are cylinder-shaped, 8–10 cm (3¼–4 in) in diameter, topped by a crest of more or less horizontal pinkish or reddish tinged leaves. It

Leucospermum vestitum is an evergreen, upright to more or less spreading shrub of up to 2½ m (9 ft) high and wide from the family Proteaceae. It has greyish, seated, oblong, 2–3 inch long leaves with two to four teeth near the tip and large, showy two-toned flower heads that are bright orange at first by and age to brilliant crimson. From the center of the perianth emerge long styles, higher up bending towards the center of the head, that jointly give the impression of a pincushion. It is called silky-haired pincushion in English and bergluisie in Afrikaans. It can be found in the Western

Leucospermum rodolentum is an upright, evergreen shrub of up to 3.0 m high, from the family Proteaceae. It has felty grey, elliptic to wedge-shaped leaves of 4–6½ cm (1.8–2.6 in) long and ¾–1½ cm wide, and very sweetly scented, globe-shaped, 3–3½ cm (1.2–1.4 in) wide, bright yellow flower heads, that are seated or on a very short stalk of ½ cm long, grouped with two to four together. Its common names include is sandveld pincushion in English and sandluisie or sandveldluisiesbos in Afrikaans. The plants are in bloom between August and November. It is an endemic species that only grows in a

Leucospermum heterophyllum is a low, trailing evergreen shrublet of up to 15 cm (5.9 in) high, and up to several m in diameter, which is assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has narrow leaves of about 2+1⁄2 cm (0.98 in) long and 1⁄2 cm (0.20 in) wide, mostly with three teeth near its tip. It has small, globe-shaped, whitish flower heads. It is called trident pincushion in English and rankluisie in Afrikaans. It naturally occurs in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The plant flowers between August and January.

Diastella divaricata is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Diastella and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape and is found on the Cape Peninsula south of the Silvermine Nature Reserve. The shrub is flat and grows only 50 cm high but 3 m in diameter and flowers throughout the year without an obvious peak. Fire destroys the plant but the seeds survive. Two months after flowering, the fruit falls off and ants disperse the seeds. They store the seeds in their nests. The plant is unisexual. Pollination takes place through the action of bees. The plant

Vexatorella latebrosa, also known as the Robertson vexator, is an evergreen, upright shrub of up to about 1.5 m high, from the family Proteaceae. It has entire, long inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves that are line-shaped to very narrowly spade-shaped in outline, 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in), and mostly solitary globular flower heads at the end of the branches of 2.5–3 cm (0.98–1.18 in) across with scented, pink to carmine flowers with extended, styles with a thickened tip. The plants are flowering from August to September. It is an endemic species that

Vexatorella amoena, also known as the Swartruggens vexator is an evergreen shrub of up to about 1 m (3 ft) high, that is assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has entire, inverted egg-shaped, bluish grey, leathery leaves of 1½–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) long and 5–11 mm (0.20–0.45 in) wide on a distinct stalk, and globular flower heads of about 2 cm (0.8 in) across with pale pink flowers with extended, thick-tipped styles at the tip of the branches. The plants are flowering from September to November. It is an endemic species that is restricted to the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Protea vogtsiae, also known as the Kouga sugarbush, is a small flowering shrub of the genus Protea within the family Proteaceae, which is only found growing in the wild in the southern Cape Region of South Africa. It was named after Marie Vogts. In the Afrikaans language it has been given the vernacular name of Marie-se-roossuikerbos.

Protea pudens, also known as the bashful sugarbush, is a low-growing, groundcover-like, flowering shrub in the genus Protea. It is only found growing in the wild in a small area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. In Afrikaans this species is known by the vernacular name of aardroos suikerbos.

Protea piscina, also given the vernacular name Visgat sugarbush, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae that is native to South Africa. It is endemic to the southwestern Cape Provinces.

Protea namaquana, also known as the Kamiesberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant which belongs to the genus Protea. The plant is endemic to the southwestern Cape Region of South Africa, in particular the Kamiesberg mountains of Namaqualand in the Northern Cape province. The species has a worldwide distribution of only 18 km2. It is regarded as critically endangered. In the Afrikaans language it has the vernacular name is Kamiesbergsuikerbos.

Protea intonsa, also known as the tufted sugarbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa, where it is distributed from the eastern Swartberg and Kammanassie Mountains to the Baviaanskloof mountains. In Afrikaans, it is known as klossie-suikerbos.

Protea denticulata, commonly known as the tooth-leaf sugarbush, is a shrub of the family Proteaceae native to the southwestern Cape Provinces of South Africa. It can grow up to a meter tall.

Leucospermum truncatum, commonly known as the limestone pincushion, is a shrub native to South Africa. The flowers are initially bright yellow but turn orange with time. Flowers can be found between August and December.