Plants of the Week

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E.g., 14/09/2024
E.g., 14/09/2024

Adenium multiflorum

Adenium multiflora
Common names: impala lily, Sabie star, kudu lily (Eng.); impalalelie (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

Adenium multiflorum is the best known of the South African adeniums. It flowers in winter when most of the surrounding vegetation is rather dull by comparison...

28 / 06 / 2004 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Adenopodia spicata

Adenopodia spicata growing at Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, near Scottburgh
Common names: spiny splinter bean (Eng.); stekelsplinterboontjie (Afr.); lugagane (siSwati); umlungumabele (isiXhosa); ibobo, ubobo, umbambangwe, umlungumabele (isi
Family: Fabaceae

It's spiny all over, and the whip-like young stems lean out into the path and make themselves felt by the unwary. Meet the spiny splinter bean, a characteristic...

14 / 05 / 2012 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Adenia fruticosa subsp. fruticosa

Adenia fruticosa
Common names: Sekhukhune greenstem, greenstem (Eng.); sekoekoenie-bobbejaangif (Afr.).
Family: Passifloraceae

Adenia fruticosa is one of the succulent plants that is easily recognised by its very attractive, tuberous, swollen, green stem, sometimes splitting into...

27 / 12 / 2021 | Nomndeni Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aeollanthus parvifolius

Growing in habitat
Common names: rock sage (Eng.), klipsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Aeollanthus parvifolius is a drought-tolerant, succulent, autumn-flowering plant suitable for dry bushveld and grassland gardens. Its succulent nature...

28 / 02 / 2005 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adenium swazicum

Adenium swazicum (Karin van der Walt)
Common names: summer impala lily, Swazi lily (Eng.); somerimpalalelie, Swazi-lelie (Afr.); sisila-sempala (SiSwati)
Family: Apocynaceae

A dwarf, succulent shrub with pretty, lily-like, pink flowers borne on thick branches from late summer to autumn; a good rockery plant and a useful medicinal...

12 / 06 / 2017 | Mufhati Bulannga | Lowveld NBG
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Aerva leucura

Aerva leucura
Common names: aambeibossie
Family: Amaranthaceae

It is not the size of the flowers, but rather the reliable show Aerva leucura gives in the herbaceous border from summer to autumn, that makes this a worthwhile...

09 / 04 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Afzelia quanzensis

Seeds of A. quanzensis Photo: G Nichols
Common names: pod mahogany, lucky bean tree ( Eng. ); peulmahonie (Afr.); iNkehli (Zulu); Mambakofi (Swahili)
Family: Fabaceae

Afzelia quanzensis is a very attractive, medium-sized, deciduous tree, with bright green leaves that turn to an attractive yellowish colour in autumn....

11 / 09 / 2006 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Agapanthus praecox subsp. minimus 'Adelaide'

Agapanthus 'Adelaide'
Common names: Adelaide agapanthus
Family: Agapanthaceae

This floriferous dwarf agapanthus is the first to start flowering and one of the last to finish, a star performer in full sun or semi-shade....

16 / 01 / 2006 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus africanus

Agapanthus africanus subsp. africanus
Common names: Cape agapanthus, fynbos agapanthus (Eng.); kleinbloulelei (Afr.)
Family: Agapanthaceae

Agapanthus are one of South Africa's best known garden plants and are grown in most countries in the world. Their strap-like leaves and striking blue...

17 / 05 / 2004 | Richard Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus leucophyllus

Adromischus leucophyllus
Common names: flour-stonecrop, white-leaf adromischus (Eng.); witblaarplakkie, meel-boekplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The flour-stonecrop is a dwarf, cluster-forming to pendent leaf succulent from the mountainous regions between Barrydale, Montagu, Robertson and De Doorns...

06 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus campanulatus

Agapanthus campanulatus
Common names: bell agapanthus (E), bloulelie (A), ugebeleweni (X), ubani (Z), leta-laphofu (SS)
Family: Agapanthaceae

A dainty deciduous agapanthus from the Drakensberg, this is a good choice for gardeners in cold areas who struggle to grow evergreen agapanthus....

09 / 01 / 2006 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe rouxii

Aloe rouxii
Common names: Low's Creek grass aloe (Eng.); grasaalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe rouxii is a recently named, small grass aloe, only known from the Lows Creek region, near Barberton (Mpumalanga, South Africa), where it grows on...

03 / 07 / 2017 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus caulescens

Agapanthus caulescens subsp. caulescens
Common names: stem agapanthus
Family: Agapanthaceae

...

27 / 12 / 2004 | Richard Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe pretoriensis

Aloe pretoriensis
Common names: Pretoria aloe (Eng.); Pretoria aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

A widespread aloe that occurs from Pretoria in Gauteng, to Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, with a neat, compact rosette of thin leaves and...

07 / 10 / 2019 | Ntuthuko Mabuya | Pretoria NBG
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Adromischus subdistichus

Adromischus subdistichus
Common names: book-stonecrop (Eng.), boekieplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The book-stonecrop is a dwarf, mat-forming to pendent, leaf succulent from the mountainous regions near Willowmore in Eastern Cape. The rounded flattened...

13 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus inapertus subsp. hollandii

Lydenburg
Common names: drooping agapanthus (Eng.); bloulelie (Afr.); isicakathi (Xhosa)
Family: Agapanthaceae

'Sky' and 'Lydenburg' are two of the most floriferous and attractive forms of agapanthus to grace the summer garden. Both were thought...

16 / 02 / 2004 | Y Reynolds | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Albizia tanganyicensis subsp. tanganyicensis

Albizia tanganyicensis subsp. tanganyicensis
Common names: paperbark false-thorn, paperbark albizia, sneezewood (Eng.); papierbasvalsdoring (Afr.); ugudha-mfeni (isiXhosa); mulelu, munungufhefhe (Tshivenda)
Family: Fabaceae

A very attractive tree with white to ochre peeling bark and creamy white, sweetly scented flowers in early summer, suitable for any medium-sized garden;...

10 / 07 / 2017 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus inapertus

Agapanthus inapertus
Common names: Drakensberg agapanthus, drooping agapanthus (E), bloulelie (A), hlakahla (Sw)
Family: Agapanthaceae

The drooping agapanthus is an attractive, tuberous plant which occurs naturally in open grassland and on forest margins. ...

19 / 02 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis

Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis
Common names: Brandberg adromischus (Eng.), Brandbergnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis is a rare, cliff-hugging succulent from the Brandberg in central northern Namibia, it represents the northernmost...

20 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agapanthus praecox

Agapanthus praecox subsp.orientalis
Common names: common agapanthus, blue lily (Eng.); bloulelie, agapant (Afr.); isicakathi (Xhosa); ubani (Zulu)
Family: Agapanthaceae

I doubt that there is a South African gardener alive that has not come across an agapanthus somewhere! They line our roads, and are in most gardens and...

19 / 01 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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