Plants of the Week

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E.g., 01/06/2023
E.g., 01/06/2023

Aloe gariepensis

Flowering in habitat
Common names: Gariep aloe, Orange River aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe gariepensis is a very hardy aloe from the arid regions of South Africa and Namibia and is restricted to the lower reaches of the Gariep River also...

17 / 12 / 2012 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Aloe greatheadii var. davyana

Aloe greatheadii var. davyana
Common names: spotted aloe (Eng.); Transvaalaalwyn, grasaalwyn (Afr.); kgopane (Tswana)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe greatheadii var. davyana is a drab and uninteresting plant, but when it flowers in winter, it is spectacular. It is a plant that will...

02 / 07 / 2007 | Jean Meyer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Ammocharis coranica

Ammocharis coranica
Common names: karoo lily, koranna lily, sore eye flower, bible flower, ground lily (Eng.); berglelie, gifbol, seeroogblom (Afr.); boka (Sesotho); isidiya, icukudo,
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Ammocharis coranica lives up to its common name, sore eye flower. This striking beautiful bulb, with its umbel inflorescence, delivers spectacular flower...

20 / 11 / 2017 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Aloe greenii

Aloe greenii
Common names: ground spotted aloe (Eng.); iCeza lesikhotha (isiZulu)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe greenii is an excellent rockery plant and makes a good display pot plant in the shade. It has an impressive pink inflorescence that attracts sunbirds....

17 / 09 / 2012 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe hardyi

Aloe hardyi in conservatory at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Penge aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe hardyi is a decorative pendent aloe with grey-green soft leaves in rosettes at the end of hanging stems. ...

12 / 03 / 2007 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe huntleyana

Aloe huntleyana
Common names: Huntley aloe (Eng.); Huntley-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe huntleyana is a small creeping aloe species with greyish green leaves ornamented at the base with white spots. It branches to form clusters of...

06 / 05 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Astroloba cremnophila

Astroloba cremnophila
Common names: cliff astroloba (Eng.); krans-astroloba (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Astroloba cremnophila is a small, cluster-forming, leaf succulent from the cliffs along the Buffelsrivier. The plant has leafy, succulent stems, the leaves...

28 / 03 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe khamiesensis

Aloe khamiesensis plants
Common names: Khamiesberg aloe (Eng.); Kamiesberg-aalwyn, tweederly (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

The bright red flowering spikes of Aloe khamiesensis against the blue Namaqualand skies are a sight to behold. The charismatic plants flower in abundance...

27 / 09 / 2010 | Werner Voigt | Harold Porter NBG
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Aloe reitzii var. vernalis

Aloe reitzii var. vernalis
Common names: Vryheid aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe reitzii var. vernalis is a rare endemic known from a single population, growing on steep slopes around Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal. It has showy, dark...

11 / 12 / 2017 | Hlengiwe Mtshali | CREW
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Aloe castanea

Aloe castanea
Common names: cat's tail aloe (Eng.), katstertaalwyn (Afr.), borolo, suwopa, sekgopha (Northern Sotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

An attractive, large aloe that occurs in savanna and grassland, with very distinctive spreading branches and snake-like Inflorescences; and flowers filled...

02 / 03 / 2020 | Ntuthuko Mabuya | Pretoria NBG
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Aloe krapohliana

Aloe krapohliana flowers
Common names: Krapohl's aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe krapohliana is a distinctive smallish aloe which falls under a group of aloes characterized by short stemless plants, leaf rosettes that form near...

18 / 05 / 2009 | Werner Voigt | Harold Porter NBG
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Aloe linearifolia

Aloe linearifolia flowers
Common names: dwarf yellow grass aloe (Eng.); inkhuphuyana (isiZulu)
Family: Asphodelaceae

This aloe is useful for landscaping a grassland garden. It looks spectacular when it is in flower....

10 / 10 / 2011 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Aloe longistyla

Aloe longistyla flowers
Common names: Karoo aloe (Eng.); ramenas, Karoo-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe longistylsa is a small and elusive aloe that uses excellent camouflage to help it blend in with its environment. It is only easily seen in its natural...

01 / 06 / 2009 | Werner Voigt | Harold Porter NBG
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Aloidendron tongaense

Flowers
Common names: Tonga tree aloe (Eng.); Tonga boomaalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

A medium-sized tree-aloe endemic to the coastal forests in northern Zululand and southern Mozambique. It has showy, curved, orange flowers, and grows well...

05 / 01 / 2015 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Azanza garckeana

Azanza garckeana (Bart Wurston)
Common names: azanza, quarters, Rhodesian tree-hibiscus, slime-apple, snot-apple, tree-hibiscus (Eng.); slymappel, snotappel (Afr.); caglacagla, ixaguxagu, ixakuxak
Family: Malvaceae

Azanza garckeana with its non-aggressive root system, large leaves and crinkled yellow flowers, makes a beautiful shade tree which has the added bonus...

18 / 12 / 2017 | Ashton Welcome | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aloe maculata

Aloe maculata inflorescence
Common names: soap aloe (Eng.); bontaalwyn (Afr.); lekhala (S. Sesotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Although essentially a summer garden plant, it is indeed a garden plant for all seasons. There is always something of interest, even in mid winter (May-July)...

02 / 08 / 2010 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG
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Adromischus umbraticola

Adromischus umbraticola growing in the Magaliesberg. Photo Richard Gill
Common names: cliff adromischus (Eng); krans-brosplakkie (Afr)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus umbraticola is a fast-growing, tufted, dwarf, succulent shrub, with attractive rounded leaves and short spikes of pink flowers in late summer....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
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Aloe marlothii

Growing in Kirstenbosch
Common names: mountain aloe, flat-flowered aloe (Eng.); bergalwyn (Afr.); inhlaba, umhlaba (Zulu)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe marlothii is a striking, robust, large, single-stemmed aloe with a majestic presence. The mountain aloe is without doubt one of southern Africa's...

15 / 10 / 2007 | P Emms | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adenia glauca

Adenia glauca
Common names: blue leaved elephant’s foot (Eng.); bobbebjaangif (Afr.)
Family: Passifloraceae

The oddly shaped, swollen stem and twining vines of Adenia glauca can be seen growing in the driest parts of southern Africa. Its soft greyish green, palmately-shaped...

16 / 03 / 2020 | Jermaine Christoffels | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe melanacantha

Aloe melanacantha
Common names: black-thorn aloe, small mountain aloe (Eng.); swartdoringaalywn kleinbergaalwyn, goree (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

The true beauty of Aloe melanacantha can only be appreciated when seen flowering in the veld. Its formidable black thorns add an exquisite dimension when...

25 / 06 / 2007 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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