Plants of the Week

Azima tetracantha

Common names: bee-sting bush, needle bush, four-thorns, stink bush (Eng.); byangelbos, groendoring, spelddoring, naaldebos, naaibos, stinkbos (Afr.); igcegceleya, i

Family: Salvadoraceae

Azima tetracantha is an ornamental, scrambling shrub, with interesting tetragonal branches and large spines....

26 / 09 / 2022 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Azanza garckeana

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

Avicennia marina

Common names: white mangrove (Eng.); witseebasboom (Afr.); mangal, towozi, txomahati (Xironga); isikhungathi (isiXhosa, isiZulu) - these from Van Wyk et al. (2011);

Family: Avicenniaceae

Every travel agent's idea of a tropical paradise involves white, palm-fringed beaches and "the murmur of summer seas" - but what are those...

20 / 06 / 2011 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Aulax umbellata

Common names: Broad-leaf Featherbush (Eng.), Veerkanariebos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

A slender shrub with bright yellow flowerheads contrasting vividly with the purplish brown young foliage around the flowerheads during summer....

03 / 12 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Athrixia phylicoides

Common names: Bushman's tea (Eng.); Boesmanstee (Afr.); Icholocholo, itshelo, umthsanelo (isiZulu)

Family: Asteraceae

This is a stunning plant that has a great horticultural potential in cultivation. Its beautiful flowers and the soft texture of the leaves make it an asset...

23 / 05 / 2005 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

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

Athanasia crithmifolia

Common names: samphire-leaf athanasia, thread-leaf klaas louw bush (Eng.); draadblaar-klaaslouwbos, klaaslouwbossie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

A fast-growing herbaceous shrub with grey-green foliage and showy bright yellow flower-heads in early to midsummer; it’s easy to grow and water wise,...

22 / 01 / 2018 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Atalaya alata

Common names: Lebombo krantz ash (Eng.); Lebombo kransesseboom (Afr.); umzondo, umnondo (Zulu)

Family: Sapindaceae

Introduce a finer texture in your garden by planting Atalaya alata....

13 / 10 / 2008 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asystasia varia

Common names: Asystasia

Family: Acanthaceae

This lovely garden plant grows very well in shady gardens, as well as in containers (hanging baskets), which is probably the most innovative way to optimize...

13 / 02 / 2006 | T Mukoma | Lowveld NBG

Asystasia gangetica

Common names: creeping foxglove (Eng.); Isihobo (Zulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

If you have a large expanse that needs covering, try the magic of this African beauty. Creeping foxglove is the most rewarding and friendliest of all the...

21 / 06 / 2004 | E Lithudzha | Pretoria NBG

Astroloba rubriflora

Common names: red-flowered astroloba

Family: Asphodelaceae

Astroloba rubriflora is the only plant in its genus that has red flowers. The tubular flowers face upwards, and are adapted to attract sunbirds for pollination,...

19 / 08 / 2019 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG

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

Asteraceae

Common names: daisy family, sunflower family, thistle family (Eng.); madeliefie-familie, sonneblom-familie (Afr.) Class: Dicotyledoneae (Angiospermae) Order: Astera

Family: Asteraceae

This is probably the largest family of flowering plants, with more than 25 000 species world-wide, growing from sea-level to the highest mountain peaks....

26 / 04 / 2004 | Paul Herman | Pretoria NBG

Aster laevigatus

Common names: Van Staden's aster

Family: Asteraceae

Aster laevigatus is a little, white to mauve daisy first discovered in the early 1900's. Only a single specimen was taken to London and...

10 / 05 / 2010 | C Cowell | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asparagus virgatus

Common names: broom asparagus, slender asparagus, ‘Tiki’ fern, African broom fern (Eng.); makkatdoring, katstertjie (Afr.); ibutha, ihabiya, iphinganhloya, unwe

Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus virgatus is an evergreen, perennial plant that produces small, greenish white flowers in summer, and small, spheroid, red seeds. It is also known...

02 / 02 / 2015 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Asparagus scandens

Common names: climbing asparagus (Eng.); krulkransie (Afr.)

Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus scandens is a delicate-looking yet sturdy forest-dwelling climbing perennial, ideal for a trellis in a small garden or as a groundcover under...

15 / 03 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asparagus rubicundus

Common names: red-stemmed asparagus, wild asparagus (Eng.); wag-‘n-bietjie, swart haakdoring (Afr.)

Family: Asparagaceae

An erect thorny shrub with glossy, reddish brown, thorny stems, soft feathery foliage and starry white flowers, and one of the fastest growing species...

10 / 06 / 2019 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG

Asparagus retrofractus

$Asparagus retrofractus$

Common names: zigzag asparagus, ming fern bush; ming asparagus; pom pom asparagus (Eng.); katdoring (Afr.)

Family: Asparagaceae

Quite often, this plant is mistaken for a fern when in-fact it is an attractive, scrambling herbaceous flowering plant, that has zigzagging stems clothed...

12 / 10 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asparagus ramosissimus

Common names: cascade asparagus (Eng.); krulkransie (Afr.); ibutha (Zulu and siSwati); kgopa, sesilatsane (Sesotho)

Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus ramosissimus is an evergreen perennial with abundant soft, light green foliage and a cascading habit, suited to the shady garden or patio....

11 / 05 / 2015 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asparagus microraphis

Common names: needles wild-asparagus (Eng.), katdoring (Afr.), lala-tau, lehonyeli, lelala-tau, leu-nyeli, mankoe (Sesotho)

Family: Asparagaceae

An evergreen shrub that is used medicinally by Sesotho speaking people for the treatment of venereal diseases....

25 / 07 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

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