Plants of the Week

Conicosia pugioniformis subsp. pugioniformis

Common names: giant clockplant, pigroot, pig salad, narrow-leaved ice plant (Eng.); groot vetkousie, varkslaai, gansies, varkwortel, snotwortel (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

A striking, yellow flowering, die-hard, succulent groundcover, suited to sandy and coastal gardens, rockeries or pots....

02 / 09 / 2019 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cheiridopsis denticulata

Common names: t'noutsiama (Nama)

Family: Aizoaceae

Oh, it's flowering time: it's really awesome to see what mesembs look like when blooming in their natural habitat....

15 / 04 / 2013 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG

Crassula ericoides subsp. ericoides

Common names: heath crassula, large whipcord (Eng.); malmeidbossie, skilpadbossie (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

A beautiful stand-alone plant that is easy to propagate and works well in pot arrangements and in succulent gardens. This succulent plant is more of a...

02 / 09 / 2019 | Sboniso Zwane | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Cheiridopsis purpurea

Common names: cheiridopsis

Family: Aizoaceae

Cheiridopsis purpurea is a small succulent endemic to the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape, with brilliant, intense, magenta-pink flowers....

02 / 04 / 2012 | Lize Wolfaardt | Karoo Desert NBG

Chironia baccifera

Common names: Christmas berry (Eng.); aambeibossie, bitterbossie (Afr.)

Family: Gentianaceae

Chironia baccifera is not only a highly ornamental plant, but also one that has many medicinal uses even though it is poisonous to stock....

05 / 04 / 2004 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG

Chaetacanthus setiger

Theis plant is now known as Dyschoriste setigera...

31 / 03 / 2014 | | Harold Porter NBG

Chlorophytum bowkeri

Common names: giant chlorophytum, Bowker's chlorophytum (Eng.); groot boskuikens (Afr.)

Family: Agavaceae

A robust perennial herb that makes an impeccable landscape plant, when planted in a mass as a ground cover....

09 / 09 / 2019 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG

Chironia linoides

Common names: Cape centaury, bitterwortel (Afrikaans)

Family: Gentianaceae

Flowering during the warm summer months, usually from Christmas until late February, Chironia linoides adds splashes of colour to the garden. The plants...

13 / 01 / 2003 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chlorophytum comosum

Common names: hen-and-chickens, spider plant (Eng.); hen-en-kuikens (Afr.); iphamba (Zulu)

Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum comosum is a perennial lily-like plant with tuberous roots, bearing spreading to recurved soft leaves from a central rosette and an elongated...

05 / 11 / 2012 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chlorophytum saundersiae

Common names: weeping anthericum (Eng.); watergras (Afr.)

Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum saundersiae is a popular garden plant and is used extensively by landscape gardeners. It has a pleasing grass-like appearance making it a...

13 / 05 / 2013 | A Johannsmeier | Pretoria NBG

Cichorium intybus

Common names: blue dandelion, chicory (Eng.); sigorei (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Most people will only admire this pretty, blue-flowered weed along roads and in abandoned fields and not know its other useful properties. Although mostly...

19 / 06 / 2017 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cineraria saxifraga

Common names: wild cineraria; geelblom

Family: Asteraceae

Cineraria saxifraga, with its delicate foliage and bright yellow flowers, is a rewarding and versatile plant for the garden....

18 / 03 / 2002 | Ebrahim Lawrence | Kirstenbosch NBG

Citrullus lanatus

Common names: tsamma melon, wild watermelon (Eng.); bitterboela, bitterwaatlemoen, karkoer (Afr.); t'sama (Khoisan); makataan (Tswana)

Family: Cucurbitaceae

...

26 / 12 / 2011 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cladostemon kirkii

Common names: three-finger bush, butterfly-tree (Eng.); Tonga-kierie (Eng. & Afr.); umThekwini, umusi-iyamuka, uphanda, isidumbu (isiZulu)

Family: Brassicaceae

How is it possible that a tree with such attractive flowers should bear fruits with such an awful stench?...

07 / 05 / 2007 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Clematis brachiata

Common names: traveller's joy, old man's beard, wild clematis; klimop, lemoenbloeisels (Afr.); ityolo (isiXhosa); morara (S); mogau (T); umdlonzo (isiZulu)

Family: Ranunculaceae

...

25 / 03 / 2002 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cleome foliosa

Common names: Yellow glory, yellow spindlepod.

Family: Brassicaceae

Cleome foliosa is a charming annual for the water wise garden....

10 / 02 / 2014 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium

Cissus quadrangularis

Common names: climbing cactus, cactus vine, succulent-stemmed wild grape, edible-stemmed vine (Eng.); velddruif (Afr.); ijovane, isinwazi, umhlushwane, umnhlonhlwan

Family: Vitaceae

A climber with square, fleshy, green stems and red berries in summer. The stems, roots and leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat various human...

24 / 01 / 2022 | M Mashiane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cleome gynandra

Common names: African cabbage, spider-wisp (Eng.); murudi (Venda); snotterbelletjie (Afr.); morotho (Northern Sotho)

Family: Capparaceae

African cabbage is of economic importance as it is among the herbs that are used as indigenous vegetables in rural areas of southern Africa. Analyses have...

03 / 10 / 2011 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria

Clerodendron glabrum

Common names: tinderwood (Eng.); moswaapeba (Sotho); tontelhout (Afr.); munukha-tshilongwe (Venda); umqwaqwanam (Xhosa); umQoqonga (Zulu); xinhunwelambeva (Tswana);

Family: Lamiaceae

This is a small tree with smelly leaves and scented flowers in summer. It has many traditional uses....

27 / 08 / 2012 | L Nenungwi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Callilepis leptophylla

Common names: wild daisy (Eng.); bergbitterbossie (Afr.); imphila (siSwati)

Family: Asteraceae

An aromatic perennial herb with needle-like leaves and large flowers early in the season, and it mixes well with grasses. ...

28 / 10 / 2019 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria

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