When bloomtime for a Protea mundii flowerhead is done, the upper part of the involucre, which was widest when the pollen presenters turned into stigmas, loses diameter dramatically and becomes narrow above the basic bulge where the seeds grow.
The upper or inner involucral bracts have withered completely here first, while the lower, outer ones last longer around the now key part of the further development (Manning, 2007; Rourke, 1980).