Snow protea
Product Description
This alpine, whose Latin name means "lover of snow", grows wild in a small area of South Africa's Cederberg Mountains, where it withstands impressive weather extremes.
Frequent fires and the effects of climate change mean it is now listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. We've banked its seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst to help protect it for the future.
Snow protea’s large seed heads are straight out of a sci-fi blockbuster. When in flower, they’re filled with a mass of creamy white or pink buds and surrounded by leaf-like structures (or bracts) that are white and woolly on the outside and a rich crimson colour on the inside. When a snow protea’s flowers appear, they take a full year to open, and individual plants rarely have more than three or four flowers, despite reaching up to seventy years of age. However, confined to just a few rocky ledges and scree slopes in South Africa’s Cederberg Mountains, you need to be intrepid to spot this extraordinary sight in the wild.
Sadly, due to the impacts of climate change, it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. To safeguard its future, we've stored its seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst.
By adopting a seed, you are making a £25 donation to directly support the work of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank.
How to adopt a seed
Choose a seed and complete the form with your name and email address. If you're adopting a seed as a gift, add the recipient's name and email address, as well as your message. You'll be able to download a Certificate of Adoption then, and we'll also email a copy to the email address you provided.
To make multiple adoptions of the same seed, please add the seeds to your basket one by one (filling in the name and email address details separately for each certificate).
If you have any questions about Adopt a seed or your certificate, please email us at donate@kew.org.
Reviews
Sustainable
Delivery and Returns
United Kingdom
We offer FREE delivery on UK-only orders over £60 (Tracked Standard delivery service). (This does not apply to our print-on-demand service)
Our other delivery costs are as follows:
- UK Tracked Standard - £5 (delivery 3-6 working days from date of order)
- UK Tracked Express - £8.95 (delivery 1-3 working days from date of order)
Note: Mat Collishaw framed prints can take up to 2 weeks for delivery and are excluded from promotional discounts.
Age restricted products
If your basket contains age restricted products, our courier will request passport or driving license ID if the recipient looks under 25.
Gift membership products
Gift Membership packs are sent using a tracked and signed for service. Unfortunately, we are unable to replace gift memberships that are lost or misplaced once received by the recipient.
International and EU
International and EU orders are subject to variable postage costs calculated at checkout; these are dependent on the size and value of your order.
Orders to EU and International addresses may be subject to local customs duty or taxes. You will need to pay any additional charges for customs clearance, charges include local VAT and duty based on the value and origin of the product upon receipt of your order.
Weight restrictions: We are unable to ship orders where the total weight is over 2kg outside of the United Kingdom.
Product restrictions: We are unable to ship seeds, plants, bulbs, inflammable products, sharp and/or bladed items, food and beverages outside of the United Kingdom.
