Mimetes cucullatus is eye-catching, unusual and colourful all year round, forming a neat, compact shrub and it is among the easiest members of the protea family to grow.

It is found on sandy soils, on sandstone slopes and flats, most frequently on the cool, moist, south-facing slopes and damp flats. It occurs from the Koue Bokkeveld Mountains to Kogelberg to Elim Flats, Caledon Swartberg, Cape Peninsula ; Potberg; Riviersonderend Mountains , eastern Langeberg to Outeniqua and Kouga Mountains ; Klein Swartberg and Rooiberg. It grows from sea level to 1 200 m.

The genus Mimetes belongs in the protea family (Proteaceae) and consists of 14 species, all of which occur in the Western Cape, from Porterville to the Kouga Mountains.

Mimetes cucullatus is the only mimetes that is a resprouter i.e. it survives fires by resprouting from a large, woody, underground rootstock.

Grow it in a sunny position in sandy, well-drained, acidic soils. Give it plenty of water during autumn-winter-spring and moderate amounts during summer, making sure that the water drains away. Feed it with well-rotted compost and/or low-dose or slow-release fertilizers, preferably organic, and steer clear of manures and other strong fertilizers. When in doubt, plant fynbos plants on a slope in an area that gets some degree of air movement.

Being a resprouter, Mimetes cucullatus responds well to hard pruning. Older, established plants can be rejuvenated and flowering encouraged by being pruned back to the base; they will resprout vigorously.

The leaves are oblong-elliptic, 25-55 mm long and are neatly and symmetrically arranged along the branches. New growth is bright red.

The unusual flowerheads of Mimetes distinguish this genus from the other members of the protea family.

In Mimetes the flowers are grouped into small dense cylindrical inflorescences of 3-16 florets produced in the axil of a leaf, and up to 15 of these cylindrical inflorescences can occur on one flowering stem.

The wool-like tufts stick out from between brightly coloured leaves towards the tips of the branches. Each 'tuft' is a group of 4-7 florets, the cylindrical inflorescence, and each inflorescence is produced directly below a leaf, which in this species partly encloses the inflorescence, like a hood.

The actual inflorescence is not particularly showy, but the whole flowering stem is very colourful: the leaves that enclose the inflorescences are red at the tip, shading to a bright yellow and then into bright green. The creamy white 'tufts' are actually the bearded tips of the thread-like perianth segments and hold the anthers; and the styles are dark red, tipped with yellow and rear up right underneath the red hood-like leaf.

Flowers are produced nearly all year round, but the peak flowering season is from early spring to late summer-autumn (August to March).

The flowers are pollinated by sunbirds and the sugarbird.