Plants of the Week

Sparaxis elegans

Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, pale harlequin flower (Eng.); spogfluweeltjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis elegans is, as its name suggests, one of the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing species the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) has to...

09 / 06 / 2014 | Brittany Arendse | CREW

Sorocephalus imbricatus

Common names: tile-leaf clusterhead, tile-leaf powderpuff, gland-bearing soranthe (Eng.)

Family: Proteaceae

An outstanding shrub with rounded, sweetly scented flowerheads of white, silky hairy flowers with maroon perianths and pink bracts, that displays its horticultural...

22 / 08 / 2022 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG

Sorghum bicolor

Common names: sorghum (Eng.); graansorghum (Afr); mabele (Pedi,Sotho,Ndebele); amabele(Z); amazimba (Xhosa)

Family: Poaceae

This crop plant has been cultivated in southern Africa for over 3 000 years....

31 / 01 / 2005 | E T Rampho | National Herbarium Pretoria

Solanum giganteum

Common names: healing-leaf tree, giant bitter-apple, red bitter-apple, red bitter-berry, thorny bug-tree (Eng.); geneesblaarboom, grootbitterappel, rooibitterbessie

Family: Solanaceae

This big shrub with its colourful, long-lasting berries and large leaves with silvery undersides, makes an unusual hedge or background plant....

19 / 01 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Solanum africanum

Common names: dune nightshade, drunken berry, drunken rope (Eng.); dronkbessie, dronktou (Afr.)

Family: Solanaceae

A hardy creeper or shrub, with yellow-centered, purple, mauve or white flowers in midsummer to spring. It can be successfully utilized to cover a trellis...

16 / 09 / 2019 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Solanum aculeastrum

Common names: goat bitter-apple, bitter-apple, goat apple, poison apple (Eng.); bok-bitterappel, bitterappel, bokappel, gifappel (Afr.); thola (Tswana); murulwa (Ve

Family: Solanaceae

...

01 / 03 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Smicrostigma viride

Common names: no common names known

Family: Aizoaceae

This neat attractive succulent shrublet will make a great addition to a water-wise garden....

05 / 10 / 2015 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Siphonochilus aethiopicus

Common names: Natal ginger, Wild ginger (English); Wildegemmer (Afrikaans); indungulo, isiphephetho (Zulu)

Family: Zingiberaceae

...

11 / 03 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Silene undulata

Common names: dream root, gun powder plant, campion (Eng.); unozitholana, ubulawu, undlela zimhlophe (isiXhosa); kleinwildetabak (Afr.)

Family: Caryophyllaceae

This small herb is used as a 'dream plant'....

30 / 09 / 2013 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW

Sideroxylon inerme

Common names: white milkwood ( Eng. ); witmelkhout, melkhoutboom, melkbessie (Afr.); aMasethole, umQwashu (Xhosa); aMasethole-amhlope, uMakhwela-fingqane (Zulu)

Family: Sapotaceae

...

26 / 06 / 2006 | Freddie Bosman | Kirstenbosch NBG

Sida

Common names: fanpetals, mallows, sidas (Eng.)

Family: Malvaceae

Sida’s weed-like habit and small flowers keep it away from the popularity enjoyed by its tropical splendour relative, the Hibiscus. The attraction...

26 / 02 / 2018 | Sushant Sharma | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Setaria verticillata

Common names: bristly foxtail grass, bur bristlegrass, cat’s tails, klits setaria, love grass (Eng.); kat(te)stert(gras), klawergras, kleefgras, klitsgras, steekg

Family: Poaceae

Setaria verticillata is a species of grass known by the common name, bur bristlegrass. It is easily distinguished from other Setaria species by retrorsely...

14 / 05 / 2018 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Setaria megaphylla

Common names: ribbon grass, broad-leafed bristle grass

Family: Poaceae

Setaria megaphylla may be found along rivers in low-lying areas or forests and in dense bushveld where there is plenty of moisture. ...

29 / 04 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Serruria zeyheri

Common names: matchstick spiderhead (Eng.); vuurhoutjiespinnekopbossie (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

A rarely seen, rounded shrub with impressive, loosely aggregated flowerheads made up of flowers that look like matchsticks before they open....

20 / 06 / 2022 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria villosa

Common names: golden spiderhead, valley spiderhead (Eng.); gouespinnekopbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Serruria villosa is a charming sweetly scented shrublet suited to the wild fynbos garden....

16 / 04 / 2012 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria triternata

Common names: Tulbagh spiderhead, dill-leaf serruria (Eng.)

Family: Proteaceae

The Tulbagh spiderhead is a charming fynbos shrub suited to an informal indigenous garden. It is rather nondescript when not flowering but in spring time...

22 / 08 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria trilopha

Common names: trident spiderhead, sand spiderhead, snake-stem spiderhead, three-crested spiderhead (Eng.); slangspinnekopbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered member of the protea family makes an unusual addition to sandy coastal gardens....

13 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria rosea

Common names: rose spiderhead, bridesmaid spiderhead (Eng.); strooimeisie, bruidsbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Serruria rosea is one of the showiest spiderheads, producing a spectacular display of up to 20 rose-pink tightly clustered flower heads per stem....

23 / 08 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria glomerata

Common names: cluster spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Serruria glomerata is an attractive fynbos shrub that belongs in the Protea Family and occurs naturally only on the Cape Peninsula. Its compact rounded...

02 / 08 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Serruria furcellata

Common names: Kraaifontein spiderhead (Eng.)

Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered spiderhead is being squeezed from its home by urbanization near greater Cape Town....

06 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG

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