Plants of the Week

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E.g., 15/09/2024
E.g., 15/09/2024

Caputia oribiensis

Caputia oribiensis
Common names: Oribi Gorge caputia (Eng.); Oribi-tontelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Caputia oribiensis is an ascending, sparsely branched, drought tolerant, succulent shrublet, belonging to the daisy family (Asteraceae), with showy,...

11 / 08 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleus genus

Coleus hadiensis 'Penge' (Photo Alice Notten)
Common names: coleus
Family: Lamiaceae

For many years, the plant we’ve known as coleus, was the popular garden plant with multi-coloured leaves, although its accepted scientific name was...

08 / 06 / 2020 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cryptocarya woodii

Leaves and green fruits
Common names: Cape laurel, Cape Quince, bastard camphor tree (E): rooikweper,Kaapse kweper (A); isithungwa, inqayana, ixobothi (Xhosa) umngcabe, umnqayane, isililan
Family: Lauraceae

This is a handsome tree for small gardens with a lovely shape when properly pruned. The shiny, purple-black fleshy fruits are showy and complemented by...

19 / 12 / 2005 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Caputia pyramidata

Plant in flower
Common names: tall caputia (Eng.); groot-tontelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Caputia pyramidata is a drought-tolerant succulent-leaved shrub, endemic to the Albany Thicket vegetation in the Eastern Cape. It has showy, ascending...

14 / 07 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cotyledon xanthantha

Cotyledon xanthantha
Common names: Still Bay pig's ears, Still Bay cotyledon (Eng.); stilbaai-plakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Cotyledon xanthantha is a recently named, scrambling, succulent shrub with tubular yellow flowers, confined to thicket vegetation of the dry river valleys...

19 / 03 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cucumis africanus

Fruits
Common names: wild cucumber, wild gherkin (Eng.); wilde agurkie, doringkomkommertjie (Afr.); monyaku (Pedi); mthangazana (Xhosa); isende-lenja, uselwa-lwemamba (Zul
Family: Cucurbitaceae

The fruits of this species, looking like small, prickly and striped cucumbers, were pickled and preserved in old Cape kitchens....

14 / 03 / 2005 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Caputia scaposa

Flowers of Caputia scaposa var.scaposa
Common names: small caputia (Eng.); kleintontelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This is a short, drought tolerant, succulent shrublet, belonging to the daisy family (Asteraceae), with showy, spreading leaves in a central rosette and...

15 / 09 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cucumis metuliferus

Cucumis metuliferus fruit
Common names: African horned cucumber, jelly melon, kiwano (Eng.); rooi-agurkie, rooikomkommer (Afr.); mokapana (Tswana)
Family: Cucurbitaceae

This African climber is cultivated in various parts of the world for its showy, edible fruits....

10 / 08 / 2009 | M Welman | Pretoria NBG
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Cunonia capensis

Cunonia capensis
Common names: red alder, butterspoon tree (English); rooiels (Afrikaans); umqwashube (Xhosa); umlulama (Zulu)
Family: Cunoniaceae

Cunonia capensis is a beautiful evergreen garden tree which attracts insects to its flowers....

05 / 03 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Curtisia dentata

Curtisia dentata
Common names: assegai (Eng.); assegaai (Afr.); uSirayi, umGxina (Xhosa); umLahleni (Xhosa, Zulu); uMagunda, uMaginda, umBese, umPhephelelangeni (Zulu); iliNcayi, is
Family: Cornaceae

Curtisia dentata is a handsome, evergreen tree with beautiful foliage that looks good throughout the year. It has great potential as a garden tree, an...

05 / 07 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Clivia mirabilis

Clivia mirabilis
Common names: miracle clivia
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The discovery in the Nieuwoudtville area of the Northern Cape of a most unusual new Clivia species, Clivia mirabilis, caused much excitement in the botanical...

20 / 05 / 2002 | Nicky Malcolm | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cussonia paniculata

Mature Cussonia paniculata
Common names: mountain cabbage tree (Eng.), bergkiepersol (Afr.), umsenge (X, Sw) umsengembuzi (Z)
Family: Araliaceae

This evergreen tree makes a beautiful focal point in a garden as it has an unusual shape, interesting gnarled bark and stunning, large, grey-green leaves....

21 / 10 / 2002 | Peter Gavhi | Free State NBG
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Colchicum

Colchicum asteroides
Common names: cup and a saucer, men-in-a-boat (Eng.); bobbejaanskoen (Afr.)
Family: Colchicaceae

Members of the genus Colchicum are low, short-stemmed to stemless perennials with leaves spreading on the ground. The most noticeable characteristic of...

16 / 01 / 2006 | E T Rampho | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cussonia spicata

Photo: Geoff Nichols: Cussonia spicata
Common names: cabbage-tree, common cabbage tree; kiepersol (Afr); umsenge(S, Z & Xh.); motshetshe (NS)
Family: Araliaceae

The cabbage-tree is a strikingly beautiful garden tree which is widely cultivated both locally and abroad for its striking evergreen foliage. Its unusual...

20 / 12 / 2004 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Cotula turbinata

Plant in flower-white form
Common names: bachelor buttons, funnel weed (Eng.); ganskos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Cotula turbinata is a pretty, early flowering annual that can be seen popping up in grassy patches along sidewalks and other moist open places throughout...

06 / 10 / 2014 | A Jakoet | Compton Herbarium
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Cussonia thyrsiflora

Flower heads in bud
Common names: Cape coast cabbage tree (Eng.); Kaapse kuskiepersol (Afr.)
Family: Araliaceae

This evergreen shrub or small tree is an ideal specimen to include in coastal gardens, as it is very hardy and well-adapted to dry coastal scrub. It bears...

28 / 03 / 2005 | Antonia Xaba | Harold Porter NBG
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Cyrtanthus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: fire lily (Eng.); brandlelie, vuurlelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus is an African genus of bulbous plants, comprising an extraordinary range of attractive flower forms, in a wide range of colours. Many species...

19 / 07 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cussonia transvaalensis

Young plant of C. transvaalensis
Common names: grey cabbage tree (Eng.); vaal kiepersol (Afr.); motshetshe (Northern Sotho)
Family: Araliaceae

Cussonia transvaalensis is a striking, very useful tree as a focal point in the landscape, due to its strong architectural form; it may also be used...

03 / 10 / 2005 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Crassula vaginata subsp. vaginata

Crassula vaginata subsp. vaginata flowerhead. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: yellow stonecrop, yellow crassula (Eng.), uphuncuka (isiXhosa), umdumbukane, umakhulefingqana (isiZulu), erekisienyane (Sesotho)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula vaginata subsp. vaginata is a rosette-forming succulent, that sprouts annually from a woody rootstock and is a rewarding addition to a grassland...

14 / 11 / 2022 | Philile Khuzwayo | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Cyclopia genistoides

Cyclopia genistoides
Common names: Honeybush tea, Heuningbos
Family: Fabaceae

Honeybush is well known in the Cape, not so much as a garden shrub, but as a herbal tea....

25 / 09 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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