Plants of the Week

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E.g., 10/09/2024
E.g., 10/09/2024

Encephalartos lebomboensis

Encephalartos lebomboensis: Phot: N Grobbelaar
Common names: Lebombo cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

This cycad is said to be one of the most popular cycads in cultivation, although there is some confusion about its identity. Several populations of what...

14 / 04 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Lachenalia corymbosa

Lachenalia corymbosa
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Lachenalia corymbosa is one of five  brightly coloured, bulbous geophytes, which were previously in the genus Polyxena, but have now been included...

14 / 04 / 2003 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lessertia frutescens

Lessertia frutescens
Common names: sutherlandia, cancer bush, balloon pea (Eng.); umnwele(Xhosa & Zulu); kankerbos, blaasbossie, blaas-ertjie, eendjies, gansiekeurtjie, klappers, ho
Family: Fabaceae

Lessertia frutescens  is a much-respected and long-used medicinal plant that is also an attractive garden plant, and has been cultivated in gardens...

07 / 04 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos horridus

E.horridus. Photo Nat Grobbelaar
Common names: Eastern Cape blue cycad, blue cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

This cycad has been described as one of the most unusual of all the South African species. It has been very over-collected in the past, but sufficient...

07 / 04 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Drosanthemum floribundum

Drosanthemum floribundum
Common names: purple carpet (Eng.); perstapeit (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

This hardy perennial produces dazzling metallic purple flowers in spring each year....

31 / 03 / 2003 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Conophytum truncatum

Conophytum truncatum
Common names: dumpling
Family: Aizoaceae

Have you ever seen anything like this? For the uninitiated this strange plant must seem extraterrestrial. So it must have appeared also to its discoverers...

31 / 03 / 2003 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Nivenia stokoei

Nivenia stokoei
Common names: Kogelberg blue stars, Stokoe's bush iris (Eng.), blousterretjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

The Kogelberg Biosphere is home to many wonderful indigenous plants, among them Nivenia stokoei. With its clusters of blue flowers, it is one of the most...

24 / 03 / 2003 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG
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Stenoglottis fimbriata

Stenoglottis fimbriata
Common names: fringed Stenoglottis (Eng.); fraiing-stenoglottis (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

This charming, mauve, ground orchid is easily identified by the dark markings found on the leaves and flowers....

24 / 03 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitschia mirabilis in habitat (Ernst van Jaarsveld)
Common names: welwitschia (Eng.), tumboa, n'tumbo (Angolan), tweeblaarkanniedood (Afr.), !kharos (Nama/Damara), nyanka (Damara), khurub (Nama), onyanga (Herero)
Family: Welwitschiaceae

Weird, peculiar, wonderful, strange, bizarre, fascinating, and of course, unique, are the kind of words that are used to describe the welwitschia. It is...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brunsvigia orientalis

Brunsvigia orientalis
Common names: candelabra flower, red candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily, chandelier plant, sore-eye flower (Eng.), ajuinbol, koningskandelaarblom,
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Brunsvigia orientalis is one of the exciting surprises experienced in the late summer, when little else is flowering. The emergence of large pinkish...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Nerine masoniorum

Nerine masoniorum
Common names: Masons' nerine, Transkei lily
Family: Amaryllidaceae

A bulbous plant with a profusion of pink flowers, Nerine masoniorum is ideally suited to cultivation in pots and window-boxes. ...

10 / 03 / 2003 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Schotia afra var. afra

Schotia afra var.afra
Common names: Karoo boer-bean (Eng.), Karoohuilboerboon (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

This delightful, small, water-wise tree is a must for the home gardener who wants an attractive evergreen tree. ...

10 / 03 / 2003 | Roger Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Lampranthus affinis

Lampranthus affinis
Common names: cliff lampranthus (Eng.), kransvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Lampranthus affinis is a striking, easily grown shrublet, with large, pale pink flowers, and is one of only a few mesembs that will flower in shady...

03 / 03 / 2003 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pterocarpus rotundifolius

Pterocarpus rotundifolius
Common names: Muhataha (Tshivenda), round-leaved bloodwood (Eng.), dopperkiaat (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Flowers of Pterocarpus rotundifolius are strongly honey-scented. Bee-keepers like to plant this tree as a good source of nectar and food for bees....

03 / 03 / 2003 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Pretoria NBG
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Polyxena corymbosa

This plant is now known as Lachenalia corymbosa...

01 / 03 / 2003 | | Pretoria NBG
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Melinis nerviglumis

Melinis nerviglumis
Common names: bristle-leaved red-top grass (Eng.); ferweelgras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

This pretty, tufted grass with its bluish leaves and shining pink inflorescences is an attractive addition to any border or wild garden. It is particularly...

24 / 02 / 2003 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Erica jasminiflora

Erica jasminiflora
Common names: jasmine heath (Eng.); trompetheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica jasminiflora forms an erect spindly shrub growing up to 600 mm high. ...

24 / 02 / 2003 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Englerophytum magalismontanum

Fruit. Photo: Geoff Nichols
Common names: Transvaal milkplum (Eng.); stamvrug (Afr.), motlhatswa (Tswana); mohlatswa (Northern Sotho); munombelo (Venda); amanumbela (Zulu); umnumbela (Swati) O
Family: Sapotaceae

This species is better known by its Afrikaans name, stamvrug and is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, a thirst quencher to...

24 / 02 / 2003 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG
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Gardenia thunbergia

Gardenia thunbergia
Common names: white gardenia, forest gardenia, wild gardenia (Eng.), witkatjiepiering, buffelsbal, kannetjieboom (Afr.), umKhangazi (Xhosa), umValasangweni, umKhwak
Family: Rubiaceae

...

17 / 02 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Harpochloa falx

Harpochloa falx - caterpillar grass
Common names: caterpillar grass (Eng.), ruspergras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

The caterpillar grass, Harpochloa falx, is a wonderful garden plant, which forms neat, dark green tussocks which persist throughout the year and produce...

17 / 02 / 2003 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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