Proteaceæ

Proteaceæ, a natural order of evergreen exogenous plants, containing about 650 known species of shrubs and small trees, chiefly natives of South Africa and of Australia, and forming a remarkable feature of the vegetation of these regions. Some of them, as species of Protea and Banksia (q.v.), are frequently cultivated in gardens and greenhouses, being prized for their singular and elegant appearance, and their curious and often beautiful flowers. The timber of some of the larger species is used for various purposes; others supply much of the firewood of the Cape of Good Hope and Australia.