Protea acaulos subterranean features

The Protea acaulos stem is thick and woody, often branching much underground and reaching several metres deep.

Usually hidden, it may be observed here, uncovered in a mountain road cutting through a fynbos slope in Jonkershoek near Stellenbosch. The plant is carrying on flowering at ground level as if nothing has happened, the damage irrelevant, given how deep the roots go to source sustenance.

These plants, largely dependent upon their subterranean security features are believed to live up to 300 years (Manning, 2007; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist; Wikipedia).