This protea species was discovered by James Niven ca. 1805 while on a journey of discovery in the Swartberg, Cape Province, South Africa (Black Mountains). Within 5 years the species was under cultivation in the Cape, and was later exported for cultivation in Europe. Protea eximia is widely distributed in the far south of Africa along the coastal mountains, from Worcester in the West to Port Elizabeth in the east. The species is encountered in a wide variety of habitats, altitudes, and temperature regimes. This versatility has resulted in it being brought into bloom outside as far north as the coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
