Plants of the Week

Barleria rogersii

Common names: Rogers' bushviolet

Family: Acanthaceae

To cover the bare sunny spots between rocks in your garden you need Barleria rogersii....

16 / 05 / 2011 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Barleria scindens

Common names: none recorded

Family: Acanthaceae

Barleria scindens, not a very well known species in the genus, produces beautiful mauve flowers from February to July. It is ideal for sunny areas...

07 / 09 / 2009 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Barleria mackenii

Common names: Mr McKen's barleria (Eng.): bosviooltjie (Afr.)

Family: Acanthaceae

Barleria mackenii is a medium-sized shrub with mauve, tubular flowers which appear from February to June....

29 / 10 / 2007 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Baleria repens

Common names: small bush violet (Eng.); kleinbosviooltjie (Afr.), inzinziniba (Zulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

The small bush violet produces masses of pretty tubular flowers and will happily scramble up into surrounding vegetation if conditions are good....

28 / 04 / 2003 | Pitta Joffe | Pretoria NBG

Barleria rotundifolia

Common names: spiny yellow barleria, thorny bush violet, yellow barleria (Eng.); geelbarleria (Afr.)

Family: Acanthaceae

The spiny Barleria rotundifolia is an evergreen shrub that produces beautiful butter-yellow flowers from December to late summer, and is ideal...

13 / 11 / 2006 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Barleria senensis

Common names: none recorded

Family: Acanthaceae

A hardy indigenous plant suitable for any sunny spot in your garden....

19 / 12 / 2011 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Barringtonia racemosa

Common names: powderpuff tree (Eng.); poeierkwasboom (Afr.); iBhoqo (isiZulu)

Family: Lecythidaceae

This beautiful mangrove tree is easily recognized by its large leaves, delicate white flowers and guava-like fruit that hang in long racemes....

14 / 01 / 2008 | M Cheek | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Bauhinia bowkeri

Common names: Kei Bauhinia, Kei White Bauhinia (Eng.), Keibeesklou (Afr.), umDlandlovu (Xhosa)

Family: Fabaceae

A tall, graceful shrub with arching stems, decorative rounded foliage and fragrant white flowers in early summer, best in warm, dry gardens where frost...

24 / 12 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bauhinia galpinii

Common names: Pride of De Kaap (Eng); Vlam-van-die-Vlakte (Afr).

Family: Fabaceae

With attractive brick red flowers from December onwards this scrambling shrub is a summer delight in many gardens....

12 / 02 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Bauhinia natalensis

Common names: Natal bauhinia (Eng.); Natalsebeesklou (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

This is a versatile, dainty shrub with butterfly-shaped leaves and pretty, white, maroon-striped flowers....

13 / 02 / 2006 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bauhinia tomentosa

Common names: Yellow Bauhinia (Eng) Geelbeesklou (Afr): IsiThibathibana (Zulu)

Family: Fabaceae

This medium to large shrub with its attractive, light green, two-lobed leaves produces beautiful, bright yellow flowers with black to maroon coloured centres...

16 / 05 / 2005 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Babiana fragrans

Common names: fragrant blue babiana (Eng.); bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

...

26 / 11 / 2018 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG

Begonia dregei

Common names: dwarf wild begonia, maple-leaved begonia, wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

Begonia dregei is a spectacular herbaceous, summer-flowering, shade-loving perennial that makes an excellent indoor display pot plant. It is an evergreen...

14 / 06 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Begonia geranioides

Common names: geranium-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula ilimhlophe (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

...

06 / 09 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bulbine meiringii

Common names: Meiringspoort bulbine (Eng.); Meiringspoortkopieva (Afr.) 

Family: Asphodelaceae

Bulbine meiringii is an obligate cliff-hanger, with soft, drooping leaves and solitary inflorescences bearing yellow flowers in spring. Plants hang from...

01 / 03 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berchemia zeyheri

Common names: red ivorywood, purple ivory, pink ivory (Eng.); rooi-ivoor, rooihout (Afr.); monee (Sesothosa Leboa); umNeyi (siSwati); xiniyani (Xitsonga); moye (Set

Family: Rhamnaceae

The Berchemia zeyheri tree is valuable to the people, animals and birds of South Africa....

30 / 05 / 2005 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG

Berkeya barbata

Common names: coast thistle (Eng.); kus-dissel (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

A beauty to admire but painful to touch: handle with care. These sunflower-like daisies often make very attractive displays, but the thorns on the leaves,...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria