Protea neriifolia Plants from the proteaceae are evergreen shrubs (some are trees) found throughout tropical and subtropical Africa and Australia. The genus Protea has approximately 69 members that are endemic to the western Cape of South Africa. Proteas typically do not form mycorrhizal symbioses, but instead rely on high surface area lateral 'proteoid' roots for mineral uptake.
The roots of this plant are quite unusual: the new growth is exceptionally thick compared to other plants examined in this project. There was indeed evidence of dense, very short root hairs, although it was not as widespread as we might have expected. See also the Banksia page to view another member of this family.
