Herb: Sugar Bush


Latin name: Protea mellifera


Family: Proteaceae



Medicinal use of Sugar Bush:

Antitussive, pectoral.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
2.5 m
(8 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
September

Habitat of the herb:

Mountain slopes to 300 metres.

Edible parts of Sugar Bush:

The flowers are rich in nectar and this is often collected and used as a sweetener. It can be boiled down to make a syrup and is then often used medicinally.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in individual pots in a greenhouse. See notes above on soil requirements. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood. July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of Sugar Bush:

Mountain slopes to 300 metres.

Known hazards of Protea mellifera:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.