Plants of the Week

Cyclopia genistoides

Common names: Honeybush tea, Heuningbos

Family: Fabaceae

Honeybush is well known in the Cape, not so much as a garden shrub, but as a herbal tea....

25 / 09 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cynodon dactylon

Common names: couch grass, quick grass, Bermunda quick grass, finger grass, running grass (Eng.); kweekgras, fynkweek, anosterkweek, renosterkweek, elandskweek, gem

Family: Poaceae

This well-known grass is adaptable and is found almost world-wide, from deserts to the lawn in your garden. Most gardeners, if not most people, will know...

03 / 04 / 2006 | C Mudau | Pretoria NBG

Cynoglossum hispidum

Common names: hound's tongue (Eng.); beestongblaar, knoppiesklitsbossie, ossetongblaar (Afr.); bohomenyana (Southern Sotho)

Family: Boraginaceae

This is a biennial or perennial herb with small, drooping, purplish red flowers. It is characterized by loosely branched inflorescences and fruits...

30 / 05 / 2005 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cynorhiza typica

C. typica inflorescence in flower Photo: A. Magee ©

Common names: bierwortel, gatagaai, hondewortel (Afr.)

Family: Apiaceae

Cynorhiza typica is a striking wild carrot, the root of which was once commonly used in the West Coast region of the Cape to brew an intoxicating honey...

06 / 06 / 2011 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium

Crocosmia aurea

Common names: falling stars, valentine flower, montbretia (Eng.); valentynsblom (Afr.); umlunge, udwendweni (Zulu)

Family: Iridaceae

This is a very attractive garden plant with a number of bright orange flowers in a full spike at the end of the flower stalk. The tall stalks make it desirable...

25 / 08 / 2003 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG

Coleus venteri

Common names: Sekukuni coleus (Eng.); sekoekoeniesalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

A relatively new species to horticulture, Coleus venteri is a unique, aromatic, sun-loving, water-wise shrub that is fast growing once established and...

30 / 04 / 2018 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyperaceae

Common names: sedges (Eng.); biesies (Afr.)

Family: Cyperaceae

A large, cosmopolitan family of mostly herbaceous plants, Cyperaceae occur primarily in moist temperate to wet tropical regions of the world; several species...

01 / 08 / 2005 | Clare Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cyperus papyrus

Common names: papyrus (Eng.); papirus (Afr.); the bulrush of the Bible

Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus papyrus is a stately aquatic member of the sedge family. The plants are easily cultivated and suitable for medium to large water features, especially...

24 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG

Cyperus prolifer

Common names: miniature papyrus

Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus prolifer is an attractive, medium-sized member of the sedge family, suitable for waterside planting. Although much smaller, the plant bears a superficial...

31 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG

Cyperus textilis

Common names: mat sedge, umbrella sedge, basket grass, rushes, emezi grass (Eng.); matjiesgoed, kooigoed, (Afr.); imisi (Xhosa)

Family: Cyperaceae

This is a decorative waterside plant that can also be used to weave baskets and sleeping mats or to make rolled twine....

26 / 05 / 2003 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus grandidentatus

Common names: big-teeth coleus, scented-leaf coleus (Eng.); groottandsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

...

19 / 12 / 2011 | Kyle Smith | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyphostemma juttae

Common names: wild grape, tree grape, Namibian grape (Eng.); droog-my-keel (Afr.)

Family: Vitaceae

The tree grape is a slow-growing succulent with a huge swollen trunk (caudiciform). ...

19 / 08 / 2002 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG

Cotyledon egglii

Common names: Barberton pig’s ears (Eng.); Barberton-plakkie (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

A recently named succulent shrublet, recognized by its wedge-shaped (cuneiform), green leaves, sparsely beset with glandular hairs and bearing tubular,...

21 / 05 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyrtanthus herrei

Common names: Richtersveld cyrtanthus

Family: Amaryllidaceae

This striking bulb comes from arid parts of southern Africa....

23 / 07 / 2007 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG

Coleus neochilus

Common names: smelly coleus, blue coleus, lobster flower (Eng.); rotstuinsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

This is a hardy, versatile, aromatic herbaceous perennial, which forms an attractive groundcover even when the plant is not in flower and is suitable both...

31 / 05 / 2004 | T Mukoma | Lowveld NBG

Cyrtanthus obliquus

Common names: Knysna lily (Eng.); Knysnalelie (Afr.); Umathaga (IsiZulu)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus obliquus is a very attractive evergreen species, with its large pendulous flowers and grey-green leaves. It would be a welcome addition...

26 / 10 / 2009 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Cyrtanthus falcatus

Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful cyrtanthus with its curious 'shepherd's crook' flower stem and long arching leaves is very easily cultivated and deserves to...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyrtanthus mackenii

Common names: ifafa Lily

Family: Amaryllidaceae

This charming, sweetly scented bulb is long-flowering and easy to cultivate. It belongs to the genus Cyrtanthus which contains many beautiful species.Cyrtanthus...

22 / 07 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyanella lutea subsp. lutea

Common names: five fingers, yellow lady’s hand (Eng.); geelraaptol (Afr.)

Family: Tecophilaeaceae

Cyanella lutea subsp. lutea is a rewarding, long-lived cormous perennial that blooms reliably every year. ...

20 / 07 / 2020 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Cyrtanthus macmasteri

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus macmasteri was described in 2003 after being found in 1994 by naturalist Cameron McMaster at the Bolo River Gorge in the Eastern Cape....

09 / 10 / 2006 | Suvarna Parbhoo | Pretoria NBG

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