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Mission impossible: to grow the perfect protea-type

Experts at the National Botanic Garden of Wales are keeping their green fingers crossed after germinating seeds from a notoriously-difficult-to-grow South African plant.

Horticulturist Rupert Jensen was given seed of various protea species while on a three-month internship at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

These were sown in trays in a heated propagator in the nursery glasshouses at the Carmarthenshire attraction and the Protea burchellii seedlings are now being watched over anxiously.

Says Rupert: “We are at a very early stage but this is significant because these plants are of high conservation value. They are a very tricky group of plants to grow, though.”

He says they are notoriously difficult to germinate, to grow and to keep – and, although the flowers have huge seed heads, few of the seeds are viable.

Rupert added: “So, to get to a position of having a decent plant three years later, you need a lot of plants and a lot of patience and perseverance – and a large helping of luck.”

But, he says, they will be spectacular plants and, most interestingly for the horticulture team, some of the seeds they’ve been given are not species they already have.

* The protea is part of the Proteaceae family of flowering plants. The king protea (Protea cynaroides) is the national flower of South Africa and is the largest of the proteas. The proteas also give their name to South Africa’s national cricket team.

* Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is on the Eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain and is known as “the most beautiful garden in Africa”. It was founded in 1913.

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Student horticulturist Anna McPhun with a protea                        The Protea burchelli seedlings 

Y dasg anoddaf un:  tyfu’r  protea perffaith  

Mae arbenigwyr yng Ngardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru yn croesi eu bysedd gwyrddion wedi iddynt egino hadau planhigiyn o Dde Affrica sy’n eithradol o anodd i’w dyfu.  

Fe gafodd y garddwriaethwr gasgliad o hadau gwahanol rywogaethau o protea, tra roedd yn gweithio mewn swydd breswyl yn yr Ardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol yn Kirstenbosch.

Cafodd yr hadau hyn eu gosod mewn hambyrddau lle roeddent yn cael eu cynhesu ym meithrinfeydd yr atyniad yn Sir Gaerfryddin. Bellach, mae’r egin blanhigion Protea burchellii dan wyliadwraeth agos.

Dywedodd Rupert: “Mae rhain yn ddyddiau cynnar iawn, ond mae’n bwysig gan fod y planhigion hyn o gryn werth cadwraethol. Maent yn blanhigion anodd iawn i’w tyfu, serch hynny.”

Dywedodd eu bod yn anodd iawn i egino, tyfu, a chadw -  ac er fod  planhigyn yn rhoi nifer sylweddol hadau, dim ond rhai ohonnynt sy’n mynd i dyfu.

Aeth ymlaen i esbonio: “Felly er mwyn bod mewn sefyllfa i fod â phlanhigyn gwerth ei alw’n blanhigyn o fewn tair blynedd, mae angen llawer o amynedd a gwaith called -  a llond Wilber o lwc.”

Ond nododd hefyd fod y planhigion yn rhai gwych, ac meant yn ddiddorol tu hwnt i’r tîm garddwriaeth, gan fod rhai rhywogaethau newydd iddynt yn yn y casgliad o hadau a gafwyd.

* Mae’r protea yn rhan o deulu’r Proteaceae o blanhigion sy’n blodeuo. Y planhigyn brenhinol (Protea cynaroides) yw blodyn cenedlaethol De Affrica, a dyma sydd wedi rhoi’r enw i dîm criced  cenedlaethol De Affrica.

* Mae Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Kirstenbosch ar lethrau dwyreiniol Table Mountain, Cape Town, sydd bellach yn cael ei hadnabod fel “yr ardd harddaf yn Ne Affrica.” Fe’i sefydlwyd yn 1913.