Plants of the Week

Cussonia sphaerocephala

Common names: forest cabbage-tree, Natal forest cabbage tree (Eng.); boskiepersol (Afr.); umsenge-wehlathi (isiXhosa & isiZulu); umsenge (siSwati)

Family: Araliaceae

A highly ornamental, fast-growing tree, with rounded heads atop tall, slender stems developing into magnificent specimens, but don’t plant it near...

21 / 01 / 2019 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cotula duckittiae

Common names: Bokbaai buttons

Family: Asteraceae

This adorable orange flowered annual normally heralds the beginning of spring when it starts flowering in September....

03 / 11 / 2014 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

Crinum lineare

Common names: Port Elizabeth crinum

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Crinum lineare is a beautiful lily, capable of producing its outstanding flowers abundantly and will give any home or garden an attractive and stylish...

03 / 12 / 2018 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW

Crotalaria magaliesbergensis

Common names: Magaliesberg rattlepod (Eng.); magaliesberg jaagsiektebossie (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Crotalaria magaliesbergensis is small shrub that sprouts annually from a woody rootstock, to produce many, fragrant, yellow flowers. It will be a great...

10 / 12 / 2018 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Croton megalobotrys

Common names: feverberry, large feverberry (Eng.); koorsbessie, grootkoorsbessie (Afr.); motsibi (Northern Sotho), muruthu (Tshivenda)

Family: Euphorbiaceae

This tree will add colour to your garden in autumn as the leaves produces shades of yellow, orange and brown; flowering time is throughout spring and as...

17 / 12 / 2018 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chrysocoma ciliata

Common names: bitter bush, bitter cowcud (Eng.); bitterbos (Afr.); sehalahala (Sesotho)

Family: Asteraceae

A dense, slender-stemmed shrublet that boasts with its alluring, bright yellow, globular flowerheads....

24 / 12 / 2018 | Thembakazi Dyariwe | Kirstenbosch NBG

Combretum vendae

Common names: Venda bushwillow (Eng.); vendaboswilg (Afr.); gopo-gopo, gopokopo-bani (Venda)

Family: Combretaceae

...

19 / 09 / 2016 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus kirkii

Common names: prickly sage, blue soldier sage (Eng.); stekelsalie (Afr.); umvuthuza, uhlalawane (Zulu)

Family: Lamiaceae

A beautiful perennial with two-tone, spiky, pale blue and mauve flowerheads in late summer to autumn; a good choice for the mixed border if you live in...

29 / 03 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyrtanthus elatus

Common names: George lily, Scarborough lily (Eng.); george-lelie, knysna-lelie (Afr.)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus elatus is a bulbous plant from the fynbos, with spectacular, scarlet, deep red, rose-pink or rarely, white blooms, which appear from late spring...

29 / 03 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus livingstonei

Common names: hedgehog sage, large hedgehog flower, prickly sage, blue boys, nettle-leaf pycnostachys, dark blue pycnostachys (Eng.); ystervarksalie, groot ystervar

Family: Lamiaceae

An evergreen, aromatic, perennial, with beautiful spikes of blue flowers, which bloom very late in autumn. The species is a good choice for an informal...

16 / 03 / 2009 | Mandisa Kondlo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Cephalophyllum parviflorum

Common names: Tygerberg trailing-vygie (Eng.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Cephalophyllum parviflorum is one of the lesser-known species in the vygie family; it is predominantly a dwarf, trailing, succulent ground cover, hence...

13 / 04 / 2015 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG

Codonorhiza corymbosa

Common names: blue cabong (Eng.); bloucabong, koringblom, koringblommetjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

A cheerful bulbous plant with striking blue to purple blooms that does wonderfully when planted in containers on a sunny patio and helps attract an interesting...

07 / 01 / 2013 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cannomois grandis

Common names: giant river-reed, large bell reed, grand Cape-reed, rekoala, pokers (Eng.); bergbamboes, besemriet, besemgoed, olifantsriet, perdehoef, assegaai (Afr.

Family: Restionaceae

...

17 / 10 / 2016 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cotyledon woodii

Common names: Wood's Cotyledon

Family: Crassulaceae

Cotyledon woodii is suitable as an interesting succulent shrub for containers or rockeries, with its bold, orange, bird-pollinated flowers....

27 / 04 / 2015 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Commelina benghalensis

Common names: Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort, Benghal wandering Jew (Eng.); blouselblommetjie (Afr.); lala-tau, khopo-e-nyenyane, khotsoana (Sesotho); uhlot

Family: Commelinaceae

Commelina benghalesis is a common, widespread weed found throughout southern Africa, tropical Africa and Asia and it is difficult to eradicate in cultivated...

24 / 10 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Crassula capitella

leaves mature from lime-green to bright red

Common names: red flames (Eng.); aanteelrosie (Afr.); bohobe babadisana (Sesotho)

Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula capitella is a stunning succulent that looks fantastic in rockeries and landscape gardens. It is used ornamentally to add a permanent colour in...

31 / 10 / 2016 | Fergy Nkadimeng | Pretoria NBG

Ceropegia crassifolia var. crassifolia

Common names: leathery-leaved ceropegia

Family: Apocynaceae

Members of the genus Ceropegia in the strict sense, are characterized by tubular flowers specially adapted for the temporary capture of insects for pollination...

18 / 02 / 2019 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Chaenostoma uncinatum

Common names: fineleaf skunkbush (Engl.); bosopslag (Afr.)

Family: Scrophulariaceae

This is an attractive small shrub, with small dark green leaves and pretty mauve flowers in winter....

25 / 05 / 2015 | Zoleka Maphanga | Kirstenbosch NBG

Combretum zeyheri

Common names: large-fruited bushwillow, Zeyher’s bushwillow (Eng.); raasblaar, fluisterboom (Afr.); moduba-tshipi (Sepedi); umbondwe wasembudwini (isi Zulu); mufh

Family: Combretaceae

Combretum zeyheri is a bushveld tree, with a rounded crown shape, single or multi-stemmed, with the bark that is smooth and whitish in colour. It is an...

25 / 05 / 2015 | Andrew Hankey | Pretoria NBG

Chloris virgata

Common names: blue grass, feather finger grass, feathered chloris, hay grass, old land grass, sweet grass, white grass (Eng.); blougras, hooigras, katstertgras, klo

Family: Poaceae

Chloris virgata is a pioneer grass that grows on bare ground and is used as pasture and hay grass, commonly known as feather finger grass and distinguishable...

07 / 06 / 2021 | Creselda Nyeleti Shirinda | National Herbarium Pretoria

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