Plants of the Week

Hibiscus praeteritus

Common names: None

Family: Malvaceae

The colourful, floriferous and water-wise Hibiscus praeteritus is a spectacular shrub worthy of a special place in your garden....

20 / 07 / 2009 | Roger Oliver | Pretoria NBG

Hibiscus tiliaceus

Common names: wild cotton tree, coast hibiscus, lagoon hibiscus, tree hibiscus (Eng.); wildekatoenboom, kusvuurblom (Afr.)

Family: Malvaceae

Hibiscus tiliaceus is the only Hibiscus species which really becomes a small tree. It belongs to a family that is unmistakable when in flower, the cotton...

22 / 04 / 2013 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria

Hippia frutescens

Common names: scrambling wormwood (Eng.); rankals, kanferbossie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This is a good plant for moist gardens and also has a traditional medicinal use....

12 / 05 / 2014 | B Busch | National Herbarium Pretoria

Hoodia gordonii

Common names: bitter ghaap (Eng.); bitterghaap, muishondghaap, wolweghaap, bobbejaanghaap, bergghaap, bokhorings (Afr.); khobab (Khoi)

Family: Apocynaceae

Hoodia gordonii is one of the most sought after succulents due to its medicinal properties. It has been called one of the wonder plants of the twenty-first...

18 / 07 / 2005 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG

Hoslundia opposita

Common names: orange bird berry, bird gooseberry (Eng.); Uyaweyawe (Zulu)

Family: Lamiaceae

This hardy garden plant bears brightly coloured, tasty edible fruits and is an excellent subject for container gardening, which is a useful way to make...

11 / 07 / 2005 | T Mukoma | Lowveld NBG

Huernia pendula

Common names: bootlace huernia (Eng.); skoenveter-aasblom (Afr.); imitya (Xhosa)

Family: Apocynaceae

Huernia pendula is a cliff hanger with rope-like leafless branches and bowl-shaped pendent flowers confined to dry river valleys in the Eastern Cape....

13 / 12 / 2010 | | Kirstenbosch NBG

Hyacinthaceae

Common names: hyacinth family

Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is a family of 700-900 species of deciduous, or rarely evergreen, bulbous plants, several with brightly coloured flowers, that is well represented...

11 / 10 / 2004 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium

Hyaenanche globosa

A young gifboom growing among sandstone rocks

Common names: hyaena-poison (Eng.); gifboom, wolwegifboom, wolweboontjie, boesmansgif

Family: Picrodendraceae

The gifboom is a large evergreen fynbos shrub or small tree endemic to the Gifberg of the northern Bokkeveld Escarpment just south of Vanrhynsdorp (northern...

28 / 02 / 2011 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Hydnora africana

Common names: jackal food (Eng.); jakkalskos, bobbejaankos (Afr.)

Family: Hydnoraceae

Hydnora africana is one of the most bizarre-looking plants on the African continent and is certainly not the most common of plants to be encountered...

23 / 06 / 2008 | Werner Voigt | Harold Porter NBG

Hydrostachys polymorpha

Common names: white-waters plant (Eng.), phophoma-lasemanzini (Z)

Family: Hydrostachyaceae

This unusual plant is unable to survive without the turbulence of water. It thrives in the white waters which give such a thrill to rafters. Living life...

06 / 12 / 2004 | R Glen | Kwazulu-Natal NBG

Hymenolepis crithmifolia

Common names: coulter-bush (Eng.); koulterbos, pôbos, pokbos (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Do you need to brighten a dull area in your garden? Then plant Hymenolepis crithmifolia in masses there - it will bring a bright yellow glow...

12 / 09 / 2005 | Paul Herman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Hyobanche fulleri

Common names: Cat nails

Family: Orobanchaceae

Hybanche fulleri is a striking parasitic plant with pale to bright pink flowers found only in dune scrub....

10 / 03 / 2014 | Hlengiwe Mtshali | CREW

Hyparrhenia hirta

Common names: common thatching grass (Eng.); dektamboekiegras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

Hyparrhenia hirta is recognized by its hard basal tussock, rough narrow leaves and a scanty panicle of pairs of white villous racemes which do not deflex...

13 / 04 / 2009 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Hyperacanthus amoenus

Common names: Thorny gardenia (Eng.); Doringkatjiepiering (Afr.); Murombe (Tshivenda); Bembethu (Sesotho); isibhembedu, umbambangwe, umthembezwana (isiZulu); isende

Family: Rubiaceae

This shrub or small tree with its glossy green foliage and pretty flowers is an attractive option for gardeners looking to expand their collection of indigenous...

25 / 11 / 2013 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Hypericum revolutum

Common names: curry bush, forest primrose (Eng.); kerriebos (Afr.)

Family: Hypericaceae

The leaves of the evergreen Hypericum revolutum release a curry-like smell when crushed and after rain. The fresh, green foliage and bright yellow...

13 / 01 / 2014 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Heteropogon contortus

Common names: tanglehead, spear grass (Eng.); pylgras, assegaaigras (Afr.); isitupe (IsiZulu); makurwane (Setswana); selokana, seloka (Sesotho)

Family: Poaceae

A hardy grass that is very attractive and palatable in the early vegetative stages, but becomes less attractive and unpalatable as it matures....

15 / 05 / 2017 | Cynthia Mikateko Baloyi | National Herbarium Pretoria

Hyphaene coriacea

Common names: lala palm, ilala palm, gingerbread tree, fan palm (Eng.); lalapalm, palmboom, waaierpalm (Afr.); Lala-Palme (German); Lilala (Swati); Nnala (Tsonga);

Family: Arecaceae

Could large scale exploitation of lala palms make a significant contribution to the economy of northern Zululand? Almost all parts of this very common...

05 / 07 / 2004 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Hypocalyptus coluteoides

Common names: balloon-pod red-keur (Eng.); rooikeur, rooikeurtjie (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Attractive, upright, bright pink to magenta flower heads at the ends of the branches are bound to catch one's attention when this lovely shrub is in...

28 / 05 / 2012 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG