Plants of the Week

Barleria ovata

Common names: grassland barleria (Eng.); iningizimebomvu (isiZulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

This barleria has pretty flowers which change colour and it resprouts from a woody rootstock after fire....

25 / 08 / 2014 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Buxus natalensis

Common names: large-leaved box, Natal box, box-wattle (Eng.); grootblaarbuksboom, Natalsebuksboom (Afr.); umgalagala, isixesa, umngquzu (isiXhosa); igudlangulubi, u

Family: Buxaceae

This much-branched shrub to small tree is characterized by its glossy, leathery, dark green leaves that make it most outstanding amongst the rest of the...

27 / 06 / 2016 | Zama Sibisi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Barleria wilmsiana

Common names: Wilms’s barleria (Eng.); Wilms-se-barleria (Afr.)

Family: Acanthaceae

A beautiful garden plant but difficult to grow....

19 / 03 / 2018 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Blighia unijugata

Clusers of bright pink to red, leathery, pear-shaped capsules.

Common names: triangle-tops (Eng.); driehoektolletjies (Afr.); musadema (Shona); umdlaguva (isiZulu)

Family: Sapindaceae

A medium to large evergreen tree, with sweetly scented flowers that attract butterflies to the garden, followed by pink to red, pear-shaped fruit that...

11 / 07 / 2016 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Brachylaena rotundata

Common names: mountain silver-oak, Transvaal silver-tree (Eng.); bergvaalbos, bergvaalboom (Afr.); moswane (Tsw)

Family: Asteraceae

This tree is ideal for small to medium-sized gardens. It produces yellow, thistle-like flowers in spring and has eye-catching, silver-grey leaves, that...

14 / 05 / 2018 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Barleria lichtensteiniana

Common names: little porcupine (Eng.); rolvarkie, klapperbossie (Afr.)

Family: Acanthaceae

Barleria lichtensteiniana, the jewel of the Kalahari....

11 / 06 / 2018 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG

Bersama tysoniana

Common names: white ash, common white ash, common bersama, forest white ash, bitterbark, wild quinine tree (Eng.); witessenhout, gewone witessenhout, basternieshout

Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama tysoniana is an attractive tree because of its dense foliage, russet-brown new growth and knobbly fruits that split into quarters, exposing red...

30 / 07 / 2018 | Nonkululeko Ntshangase | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Babiana hirsuta

Common names: red babiana (Eng.); rooibobbejaantjie, rooihanekam, strandlelie, sandlelie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana hirsuta is a striking, robust, geophytic perennial that produces brilliant but unusual recurved red flowers on long flowering stems....

17 / 06 / 2013 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG

Brachystelma foetidum

Common names: Hottentots bread (Eng); Hotnotsbrood, Hottentotsbrood (Afr); seru (Sesotho).

Family: Apocynaceae

A small, herbaceous perennial from the grasslands, with a large, flattened, underground, potato-like tuber, and unusual purple-brown and greenish yellow...

06 / 08 / 2018 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG

Babiana praemorsa

Common names: stompstertbobbejaantjie, perskussing (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

The flowers of Babiana praemorsa are beautiful — trumpet-shaped, deep purple, with striking white marks on the lower tepals....

15 / 03 / 2010 | Colleen Rust | Hantam NBG

Babiana villosa

Common names: red babiana (Eng.); rooibobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana villosa is a spectacular red- or pink-flowered cormous plant endemic to the southwestern Cape. With sufficient care, it performs well in cultivation...

12 / 08 / 2013 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Babiana pygmaea

Common names: geelbobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Despite the anomaly surrounding its specific name, the largest-flowered of all the Babiana species is a rewarding winter- and early spring-flowering cormous...

25 / 07 / 2005 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bachmannia woodii

Common names: Four-finger Bush (E); Viervingerbos (Afr); umPhunzisa (X), umTswantswantsa (X)

Family: Brassicaceae

...

28 / 06 / 2010 | V Maharaj | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Baeometra uniflora

Common names: beetle lily

Family: Colchicaceae

Brilliant orange or sulphur yellow flowers with an arresting dark eye make the beetle lily, Baeometra uniflora, instantly recognizable. This bulbous...

23 / 02 / 2009 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium

Balanites maughamii subsp. maughamii

Common names: torchwood (Eng.); groendoring (Afr.); umnunu (Sotho); nulu (Tswana)

Family: Zygophyllaceae

Balanites maughamii is not well known in South Africa. The older trees have an amazing, upright, deeply folded or buttressed trunk, that visually...

04 / 09 / 2006 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Ballota africana

Common names: cat herb, Cape horehound (Eng.); kattekruie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

A popular herb in the Cape, Ballota africana is easy to identify by its soft-grey, aromatic foliage and old brown calyces that remain long after the flowers...

23 / 08 / 2004 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Baphia racemosa

Common names: violet pea, Natal camwood (Eng.); boskamhout (Afr.); uTshuphu (isiXhosa); isiFithi (isiZulu)

Family: Fabaceae

Baphia racemosa is an evergreen shrub with white flowers that stand out against the green forest and fill the air with a strong violet scent....

25 / 10 / 2010 | Sifiso Mnxati | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Barleria albostellata

Common names: grey barleria (Eng.); grysbarleria, fluweelblaarbosviooltjie (Afr.)

Family: Acanthaceae

This medium to large shrub produces beautiful white tubular flowers in spring and summer. In addition, the velvety grey leaves create a wonderful colour...

29 / 01 / 2007 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG