Plants of the Week

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E.g., 29/09/2023
E.g., 29/09/2023

Dyschoriste setigera

In flower
Common names: Fairy Stars
Family: Acanthaceae

This is a delightful low-growing groundcover up to 150-300mm high that requires little or no maintenance and is particularly suitable for water-wise gardens...

31 / 03 / 2014 | Zoleka Maphanga | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Desmodium repandum

Desmodium repandum
Common names: orange tick-trefoil, orange tick clover, hitchhikers, beggar lice (Eng.)
Family: Fabaceae

An attractive, shrubby, scrambling, perennial leguminous plant, with small, yet charming orange-red flowers in summer....

09 / 09 / 2019 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Delosperma saxicola

Delosperma saxicola
Common names: Tsitsikamma cliff vygie, Tsitsikamma cliff mesemb (Eng.); Tsitsikamma vygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A rare endemic of the coastal cliffs of the Tsitsikamma National Park. Its mat-forming habit makes it a great ground cover, especially for seafront, water-wise,...

30 / 09 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diastella fraterna

Diastella fraterna
Common names: Palmiet silkypuff
Family: Proteaceae

The Palmiet silkypuff is a decorative shrublet with a sprinkling of pretty puffy white flowers almost all year round....

16 / 11 / 2015 | Nosiphelele Patricia Mapukata | Harold Porter NBG
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Dierama tysonii

Dierama tysonii
Common names: Tyson’s hairbells (Eng.); grasklokkies (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

The graceful hairbells are one of our most loved native plants; these perennial herbs have evergreen grass-like foliage, with slender, wiry stems from...

28 / 10 / 2019 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Diosma haelkraalensis

Diosma haelkraalensis
Common names: Hagelkraal bitter-buchu (Eng.); Hagelkraal bitterboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

This extremely hardy buchu thrives in both alkaline and acidic soils of the fynbos, and flowers for much of the year....

24 / 07 / 2017 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dicliptera magaliesbergensis

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis
Common names: none
Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis is one of 20 South African species of Dicliptera, and one of the 3 threatened species. It is found only in Gauteng and nowhere...

02 / 12 / 2019 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dalbergia melanoxylon

Dalbergia melanoxylon
Common names: zebra wood, African blackwood, African ebony (Eng.), sebrahout, swartdriedoring, driedoringebbehout (Afr.), isparati, mpingo (Swati), mogôrôgôrô (
Family: Fabaceae

A beautiful, small, spiny tree, with fragrant, white, pea-like flowers in dense clusters in early summer; it also produces attractive purple-black heartwood...

23 / 12 / 2019 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Dicliptera cernua

Dicliptera cernua foliage, slightly hairy.
Common names: false buck-weed (Eng.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera cernua is a vigorous and versatile winter-flowering groundcover, suitable for sunny or shady areas....

15 / 02 / 2016 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drimia sphaerocephala

Drimia sphaerocephala, rounded flowerhead. Photo Garth Bushell
Common names: round-head drimia (Eng.); snotuintjie (Afr.); hlare-sa-noko (Sesotho).
Family: Hyacinthaceae

The phrase “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” is well expressed by the plant Drimia sphaerocephala. A bulbous plant wearing a rounded,...

04 / 07 / 2022 | Lesiba Papo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Dombeya kirkii

Dombeya kirkii
Common names: river wild pear, river dombeya (Eng.); rivierdrolpeer (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

A fast growing and beautiful, ornamental wild pear with masses of white flowers in late summer and winter....

02 / 03 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dyschoriste thunbergiiflora

Dyschoriste thunbergiflora
Common names: purple bells (Eng.); persklokkies (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A versatile, evergreen shrub for semi-shade, with attractive dark green foliage and eye-catching, large, blue-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers, occurring...

04 / 04 / 2016 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drimia altissima

Drimia altissima
Common names: tall white squill (Eng.); jeukbol, maermanbol, maermanui (Afr.); lukhovu (Siswati), isiklenama, umahlokolosi, umgulube (isiZulu)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

If you are looking for one of those mass flowering, tall bulbs, this is the one....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Duvernoia aconitiflora

Common names: yellow pistolbush, lemon pistolbush (Eng.); geelpistoolbos, lemoenpistoolbos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Duvernoia aconitiflora is now called Justicia aconitiflora. ...

15 / 01 / 2018 | | Walter Sisulu NBG
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