Plants of the Week

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

Olea europaea subsp. africana

Fruits of Olea europaea subsp, africana
Common names: wild olive, olienhout (Afr.), mohlware (NSotho, SSotho), umnquma (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati), mutlhwari (Venda), motlhware (Tswana)
Family: Oleaceae

...

18 / 11 / 2002 | Pitta Joffe | Pretoria NBG
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Athanasia dentata

Athanasia dentata
Common names: toothed-leaf athanasia (Eng.); geelblombos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Green and golden is the best way to describe Athanasia dentata....

18 / 11 / 2002 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Buddleja auriculata

Flowers
Common names: Weeping Sage (Eng.), Treursalie (Afr.), Utile (isiXhosa)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

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11 / 11 / 2002 | Pitta Joffe | Pretoria NBG
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Serruria aemula

Serruria aemula
Common names: strawberry spiderhead
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria aemula once occurred in huge stands on the Cape Flats near Cape Town from Milnerton to Rondebosch. Sadly this beautiful species has been reduced...

11 / 11 / 2002 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Polygala fruticosa 'Southern Shores'

P.fruticosa 'Southern Shores'
Common names: 'Southern Shores' butterfly bush, heart-leaf polygala (Eng.); 'Southern Shores' ertjieblom (Afr.); ulopesi, ulapesi, umabalabala (Xho.); ithethe (Zul.
Family: Polygalaceae

Many people are familiar with the hardy coastal shrub, Polygala myrtifolia which is useful addition to indigenous gardens. Kirstenbosch staff...

04 / 11 / 2002 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Freylinia lanceolata

Freylinia lanceolata
Common names: honey bell-bush, honeybells (Eng.); heuningklokkiesbos (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

The honey bell-bush is a shrub or small tree with a charm all of its own, and attracts hosts of butterflies and other pollinators....

04 / 11 / 2002 | Pitta Joffe | Pretoria NBG
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Searsia erosa

Searsia erosa tree
Common names: Broom karee, Besembos
Family: Anacardiaceae

The Free State is a haven for many different plant species, one of the most interesting in the family Anacardiaceae being Searsia erosa and it grows well...

28 / 10 / 2002 | Peter Gavhi | Free State NBG
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Ixia viridiflora

Ixia viridiflora
Common names: green ixia (Eng.); groenkalossie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Ixia viridiflora is one of the most striking and unusual of our winter-rainfall bulbous plants and very few plants can beat it for sheer brilliance of...

28 / 10 / 2002 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Restio quadratus

Restio quadratus
Common names: square-stem restio, flats restio (Eng.) vlakteriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Restio quadratus is a tall reed-like plant with a spreading habit. ...

21 / 10 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cussonia paniculata

Mature Cussonia paniculata
Common names: mountain cabbage tree (Eng.), bergkiepersol (Afr.), umsenge (X, Sw) umsengembuzi (Z)
Family: Araliaceae

This evergreen tree makes a beautiful focal point in a garden as it has an unusual shape, interesting gnarled bark and stunning, large, grey-green leaves....

21 / 10 / 2002 | Peter Gavhi | Free State NBG
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Greyia flanaganii

Flowers
Common names: Kei bottlebrush (E), Kei baakhout (A), uSinga lwamaxhegokazi (X).
Family: Melianthaceae

Greyia flanaganii has great horticultural potential as a spring flowering shrub that is yet to be fully explored by growers and gardeners. This tree...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ensete ventricosum

Ensete ventricosum with Strelitzia in foreground
Common names: wild banana, African wild banana (Eng.), wildepiesang (Afr.), motholo (Sepedi), mulala (Tshivenda)
Family: Musaceae

This relative of the edible banana is a valuable landscaping plant. Its form, texture and large leaves with conspicuous red midribs, create a lush, tropical...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Siyabulela Nonjinge | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Senecio glastifolius

Senecio glastifolius
Common names: large wild cineraria, holly-leaf senecio (Eng.); waterdissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

In late spring it is difficult to miss Senecio glastifolius at Kirstenbosch, for it fills many of the beds with splashes of mauve....

07 / 10 / 2002 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gerbera jamesonii

Gerbera jamesonii
Common names: Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (E) ; rooigousblom (A)
Family: Asteraceae

This beautiful daisy is a deservedly popular garden plant throughout the world and is one of the parents of the many showy Gerbera hybrids seen in florist...

07 / 10 / 2002 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Dermatobotrys saundersii

Dermatobotrys saundersii
Common names: tree jockey
Family: Scrophulariaceae

Dermatobotrys saundersii is unusual in that it is an epiphytic shrublet, which grows in the forks of a variety of trees, and occasionally on the forest...

30 / 09 / 2002 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Acmadenia mundiana

Acmadenia mundiana
Common names: De Hoop porcelain flower (Eng.), De Hoop-boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

This attractive shrub with grey-green foliage carries bright pink star-shaped flowers almost all year round but mainly in winter and spring....

30 / 09 / 2002 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium tomentosum

Pelargonium tomentosum
Common names: peppermint pelargonium, peppermint-scented pelargonium, pennyroyal pelargonium, piperitum (Eng.); pepermentmalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

With its large, velvety, mint-scented foliage and dainty white flowers, Pelargonium tomentosum makes a rather attractive garden plant in semi-shade, and...

23 / 09 / 2002 | Ebrahim Lawrence | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Leucadendron macowanii

Leucadendron macowanii, male flowerheads.
Common names: acacia-leaf conebush, wattle-leaf conebush
Family: Proteaceae

This is a fast-growing shrub with narrow, dark green leaves, bright yellow flower heads in profusion on the male plants in winter, and dark red cones on...

16 / 09 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Kleinia fulgens

Kleinia fulgens
Common names: coral senecio
Family: Asteraceae

This is a stunning, grey-leafed plant with a profusion of scarlet flowers. It is ideal for hot, dry spots in the garden....

16 / 09 / 2002 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana
Common names: dwarf ox-tongue, lilliput gasteria (Eng.), klein-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana is a rare, dwarf succulent perennial with leaves in a rosette. It is one of the smallest of the gasterias,...

09 / 09 / 2002 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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