Plants of the Week

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E.g., 04/06/2023
E.g., 04/06/2023

Satyrium carneum

Satyrium carneum
Common names: pink satyr orchid (Eng.); rooikappie, rooi-trewwa, ewwa-trewwa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Satyrium carneum, an endemic orchid in Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula to Riversdale, is becoming increasingly local and rare....

10 / 11 / 2003 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG
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Searsia pondoensis

Searsia pondoensis
Common names: many-veined currant (Engl.); veelnerftaaibos (Afr.); inHlangushane (SiSwati)
Family: Anacardiaceae

The many-veined currant is a relatively small perennial re-sprouter with green to greyish foliage, confined to grassland and open woodland....

07 / 09 / 2015 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Senegalia caffra

Flowers of Senegalia caffra
Common names: common hook-thorn, cat thorn(English); gewone haakdoring, katdoring (Afrikaans); umTholo (Zulu); Motholo (N. Sotho); Morutlhare (Tswana); Mbvhinya-xih
Family: Fabaceae

This beautiful tree is the most common naturally occurring senegalia in the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden. It may reach up to 14m and has an...

22 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Satyrium coriifolium

Flowers
Common names: golden satyr orchid (Eng.); ewwa-trewwa, goue-trewwa, ouma-trewwa, rooi-trewwa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

With its brightly coloured yellow or orange-red flowers, Satyrium coriifolium is one of the most attractive terrestrial orchids of the Cape Floristic...

29 / 08 / 2005 | H Kurzweil | Compton Herbarium
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Sporobolus africanus

Sporobolus africanus
Common names: rat’s tail dropseed, rat’s tail grass, rush grass, tough dropseed (Eng.); fynsaadgras, saadgras, taaipol, vleigras, rotstert, taaipolfynsaadgras (
Family: Poaceae

Sporobolus africanus is a tough, palatable, perennial grass with a low leaf production. It is a good indicator of disturbed veld....

24 / 06 / 2019 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Satyrium princeps

Part of flower stalk
Common names: red satyr orchid (Eng.); rooitrewwa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Satyrium princeps is a handsome but threatened terrestrial orchid from coastal sands in the southern part of the Western and Eastern Cape. Its long-lasting...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senegalia galpinii

Senegalia galpinii
Common names: monkey-thorn (Eng.), Tshikwalo (Tshivenda), apiesdoring (Afr.), Molopa (North Sotho)
Family: Fabaceae

This is a large tree with luxuriant, light green foliage, making it ideal for a big garden, avenue or park. It is also valued by farmers.  This tree...

20 / 01 / 2003 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Pretoria NBG
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Scabiosa incisa

Scabious incisa
Common names: coast scabious (Eng.), koringblommetjie (Afr.), isilawu esikhulu, iyeza lamehlo (Xhosa)
Family: Dipsacaceae

Scabiosa incisa with its large mauve or white flowers must be one of South Africa's prettiest indigenous perennials. Growing in small clumps, the flowerheads...

08 / 12 / 2003 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scabiosa africana

Scabiosa africana
Common names: Cape Scabious, Pincushion, Koringblom
Family: Dipsacaceae

Seeing Scabiosa africana on the mountain, the first thought is that it must have escaped from a garden nearby. With its big mauve flowers and soft leaves,...

04 / 12 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scabiosa drakensbergensis

Scabiosa drakensbergensis
Common names: Drakensberg scabious, pincushion (Eng.); koringblom (Afr.)
Family: Dipsacaceae

A bushy scabiosa with large soft green leaves and beautiful, pure white, ball-like inflorescences with flowers packed tightly at the tips of long delicate...

23 / 01 / 2012 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senegalia mellifera subsp. detinens

Flowers of Senegalia mellifera subsp. detinens
Common names: black thorn (Eng.); swarthaak, blouhaak, hakiesdoring (Afr.); monga (Tswana); mongangatau (Northern Sotho); munembedzi (Tshivenda); monkana (Siswati)
Family: Fabaceae

This is a thorny shrub or small tree with sweetly scented flowers and with hard, attractive wood....

14 / 01 / 2013 | F Nonyane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. katharinae

Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. katharinae
Common names: fireball lily, blood flower, katharine wheel, poison root (Eng.); bloedblom, gifwortel (Afr.); inkupulwane (isiXhosa); idunjana, ubukhoswane (isiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant explodes into flower, producing huge orange-red flower balls in mid to late summer, it's a plant for semi-shade or shade in well-watered,...

26 / 02 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Satyrium rhodanthum

Satyrium rhodanthum. Photo Richard Braby
Common names: None recorded
Family: Orchidaceae

The Endangered Satyrium rhodanthum grows into a tapering, majestic beauty with flamboyant pink or red flowers....

21 / 09 / 2015 | Kaveesha Naicker | CREW
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Senegalia nigrescens

Senegalia nigrescens
Common names: knob thorn (Eng.); knoppiesdoring (Afr.); muunga (Tshivenda); mooka (Sepedi); umKhaya (Zulu)
Family: Fabaceae

Senegalia nigrescens is a deciduous, small to medium-sized tree which occurs in various savanna regions, often at low altitudes, and in rocky areas, on...

12 / 09 / 2011 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Scadoxus puniceus

Scadoxus puniceus
Common names: Paintbrush lily, Snake lily (E), Rooikwas (Afr), isisphompho, umgola (Z)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The spectacular paintbrush lily is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants. This species is quite variable and a number of different forms...

08 / 10 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Sceletium tortuosum

Sceletium tortuosum
Common names: kanna, tortuose fig marigold (Eng.); kanna, kougoed, tandtrekbos (Afr.); kanna (Khoi)
Family: Aizoaceae

Sceletium tortuosum is one of the oldest mesembs known to the western world. It became known to the early colonizers of the Cape in the 17th century and...

16 / 05 / 2005 | Pascale Chesselet | Compton Herbarium
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Struthiola tomentosa

Struthiola tomentosa
Common names: woolly capespray, woolly featherhead (Eng.); veertjie, juffertjie-roer-by-die-nag, roemenaggie (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

A slender, tomentose shrublet, with yellow to pale orange flowers in winter, spring and early summer, and yellow, stiff hairs surrounding the petaloid...

25 / 10 / 2021 | Thuli Makhoba | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Senegalia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha

Leaves and seedpods
Common names: white-stem thorn (Eng.); witdoring (Afr.); mooka, mpho-kamagwa (Northern Sotho); xigatlu, nkowankowa (Tswana)?; tshikwalo (Venda); umnga (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

This is one of the most attractive acacias in Africa. It often has one stem with branching commencing fairly high up, and a neat flattish crown. It has...

13 / 06 / 2005 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Schefflera umbellifera

Schefflera umbellifera
Common names: false cabbage tree (Eng.); valskiepersol (Afr.); umsenge, umkisiso(Xhosa); umsenge, umgezisa, umbumbu, umbegele, umsengembuzi (Zulu); umsengambuti (Sw
Family: Araliaceae

This tree is an upright tree with a rounded crown suitable for a courtyard or gardens with limited space. It was selected as one of the South African Trees...

21 / 02 / 2005 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Steirodiscus tagetes

Steirodiscus tagetes
Common names: strandveld yellowweed (Eng.) geelkruid (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A small, wiry-stemmed annual with striking, yellow flowers in spring, endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region, and one of the most attractive annuals...

25 / 10 / 2021 | Nosipho Ndlovu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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