Proteus, in Greek mythology, is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea and the keeper of his seals. Proteus knew all things past, present, and future but was able to change his shape at will to avoid the necessity of prophesying. Each day at noon Proteus would rise from the sea and sleep in the shade of the rocks on the island of Pharos in Egypt with his seals lying around him. Persons wishing to learn the future had to catch hold of him at that time and hold on as he assumed dreadful shapes, including those of wild animals and terrible monsters.

If all his ruses proved unavailing, Proteus resumed his usual form and told the truth The protea was named after this Greek god, because this treasure offers a breathtaking diversity of shapes, sizes, hues and textures to create more than 1,400 varieties. And, because of its very growing locations, many still query why the protea is indigenous to so many areas.