Plants of the Week

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

Erica discolor

Erica discolor
Common names: two-colour heath
Family: Ericaceae

Erica discolor is a very common and variable species complex that used to consist of two well-known and widespread species namely, Erica discolor and Erica...

25 / 07 / 2016 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica sitiens

Erica sitiens, pink form in the Erica Living Collection, Kirstenbosch.
Common names: thirsty heath (Eng.) dors-heide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

This upright or sprawling shrub becomes covered with masses of pink, red or white flowers, or a combination of red with white lobes, during the summer...

07 / 11 / 2022 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia tectorum

Elegia tectorum
Common names: Cape thatching reed, deckreed (Eng.), dakriet, dekriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This restio makes a most attractive garden plant, and can be used for thatching....

13 / 08 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos eugene-maraisii

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii
Common names: Waterberg cycad (Eng.); bergpalm, waterberg-broodboom (Afr.); mofaka (Sepedi)
Family: Zamiaceae

This is a medium-sized to large, bluish-green cycad, which is suited to cool subtropical and temperate regions....

28 / 07 / 2014 | K w Sepheka | Pretoria NBG
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Erica 'Gengold'

Erica 'Gengold' (Peter Swart)
Common names: Gengold Heath
Family: Ericaceae

It is not often that one unearths a gem that has developed by chance. The hybridisation of two species of Erica in the Harold Porter National Botanical...

30 / 08 / 2000 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica sparsa var. sparsa

Erica sparsa in flower
Common names: pink-smoke heath, ker-ker
Family: Ericaceae

Erica sparsa is a free-flowering, relatively easy-to-grow, fynbos shrub that produces masses of small flowers in late summer, autumn and winter, that turn...

09 / 02 / 2015 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica irregularis

Erica irregularis, Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.
Common names: Gansbaai heath
Family: Ericaceae

A very special and beautiful plant that only occurs naturally in one place in the whole world. During the winter months, it transforms the landscape around...

07 / 05 / 2018 | Victoria Wilman | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica walkeria

Erica walkeria
Common names: Swellendam heath, quality heath, Walker’s heath (Eng.); swellendamsheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica walkeria is a densely leafy, shrubby heath with masses of starry, pink, urn-shaped flowers in small heads in spring, and makes a rewarding potplant...

05 / 12 / 2022 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Eucomis humilis

Plant in flower (Nicki Brighton)
Common names: dwarf pineapple flower (Eng.); beskeie berglelie (Afr.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This irresistible, remarkable Eucomis humilis is one of the miniature Eucomis species. A summer-growing bulb with wavy margined leaves and an inflorescence...

07 / 07 / 2014 | Sibahle Gumede | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Erica empetrina

Flowers of Erica empetrina
Common names: crowberry heath (Eng.); kraaibessieheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica empetrina boasts with a burst of pink to red flowers in spring, from September to December.Fig. 1. Flowers of Erica empetrina....

02 / 01 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica sociorum

Bush of Erica sociorum in flower
Common names: Noordhoek cliff heath, partner heath, companion heath
Family: Ericaceae

Erica sociorum is the most localized of all Cape Peninsula endemic ericas, and only found growing in a very limited area on cliffs above Noordhoek....

23 / 02 / 2015 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos nubimontanus

Encephalartos nubimontanus
Common names: blue cycad, cloud mountain cycad (Eng.); bloubroodboom (Afr.), isigciki-somkhovu (isiZulu); gebeleweni (siSwati)
Family: Zamiaceae

A stunning, desirable, fast-growing cycad, with beautiful, twisted, grey-blue leaves; illegal collecting of wild plants, because it is in high demand as...

17 / 08 / 2020 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Erica tragulifera

Erica tragulifera
Common names: Kamanassie white heath (Eng.); kamanassiewitheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

This attractive, evergreen, little plant boasts with an eye-catching display of white flowers from winter until almost the end of spring....

14 / 09 / 2020 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica lutea

Erica lutea
Common names: yellow-rice heath, rice heath (Eng.); geelrysheide, rysheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

A small fynbos shrublet which has masses of shiny white to yellow flowers in late summer and autumn....

02 / 07 / 2018 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Euchaetis meridionalis

Euchaetis meridionalis
Common names: Agulhas bearded-buchu
Family: Rutaceae

This is an amazingly tough and hardy plant, a diehard that can last for years, and a very useful filling-type of shrub for the coastal fynbos garden....

08 / 08 / 2016 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Euphorbia nesemannii

Euphorbia nesemannii (Werner Voigt)
Common names: Nesemann's euphorbia (Eng.); melkpol (Afr.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

A spiny, tuberous rooted species with a nearly cylindrical body, most of which is below the ground....

13 / 08 / 2018 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Karoo Desert NBG
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Euphorbia triangularis

Euphorbia triangularis
Common names: river euphorbia, chandelier-tree, tree euphorbia (Eng.); riviernaboom (Afr.); umhlonthlo (isiXhosa); umhlonhlowane, isiphapha (IsiZulu)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

A spiny, succulent tree with angled, segmented branches that leak a watery milky latex when damaged; it belongs in the spurge family, one of the largest...

10 / 09 / 2018 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Erica unicolor subsp. georgensis

Erica unicolor subsp. georgensis
Common names: George onecolour heath (Eng.)
Family: Ericaceae

This shrubby heath produces clusters of red, tubular flowers with light yellow tips, which make it very eye-catching when reaching its flowering peak in...

07 / 12 / 2020 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Esterhuysenia inclaudens

Esterhuysenia inclaudens in habitat. Photo Nick Helme
Common names: none
Family: Aizoaceae

...

15 / 05 / 2023 | Robyn Manuel | Compton Herbarium
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Euryops linifolius

Euryops linifolius
Common names: narrow-leaved resin bush (Eng.); smalblaarharpuisbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Euryops linifolius is a lovely evergreen shrub with grey-green, needle-like foliage and bright yellow flowers in spring. Occurring naturally in the drier...

01 / 10 / 2018 | Sanele Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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