Proteas are native to Australia, South America, and especially South Africa, where they're abundant in the Cape Floristic Region, a biodiversity hotspot.
Despite not being especially fragrant, proteas are crowd-pleasers, with many species like King protea and Pink Mink garnering demand for their unique flowers.
In South Africa, proteas have become a vital crop, cultivated sustainably, particularly as nearly half of all protea species are endangered.
Harvesting proteas involves teams of mostly women working from winter through spring, in line with sustainability regulations to protect this precious flora.
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