Plants of the Week

Tribolium uniolae

Common names: hare grass (Eng.); haasgras, koringgras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

A small, tufted, perennial grass with attractive inflorescences that are used in flower arranging....

28 / 08 / 2023 | Laura Dineo Selepe | Karoo Desert NBG

Thamnochortus spicigerus

Common names: large thatching reed (Engl.); duineriet, olifantsriet, dekriet (Afr.)

Family: Restionaceae

Thamnochortus spicigerus is a striking, tufted- or tussock-forming perennial that will make a lovely feature in your garden. The dark brown spikelets will...

20 / 04 / 2015 | Phumza Bavuma | Kirstenbosch NBG

Tulbaghia acutiloba

Common names: wild garlic (Eng.); wildeknoffel (Afr.); isihihi (Xho.); ishaladi lezinyoka (Zul.); motsuntsunyane, sefothafotha (sSo.)

Family: Alliaceae

A lovely, small and delicate bulbous perennial, with garlic-scented, edible leaves and sweetly fragrant flowers almost all year round....

25 / 02 / 2019 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Tulista pumila

Common names: miniature aloe, pearl plant (Eng.); vratjiesaalwyn, kleinaalwyn, seepaalwyn (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

This water-wise, small aloe-like plant with warty white tubercles on the leaves makes a very interesting coffee table plant. It was previously known as...

28 / 07 / 2003 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG

Trachyandra tabularis

Common names: Table Mountain cliff trachyandra (Eng.); kranskool (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

An obligatory cliff-dweller, forming clusters of rosettes of firm, green, linear, succulent leaves that hang from the south-facing sandstone cliffs of...

24 / 06 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Thespesia acutiloba

Common names: small-leaved portia tree, wild tulip tree, small-leaved tulip tree (Eng.); kleinblaarportiaboom, kleinblaartulpboom, wildetulpboom (Afr.); umthombe (i

Family: Malvaceae

An attractive tree with handsome foliage, showy lemon-yellow flowers in summer and decorative red fruits. This tree is not well known among the general...

02 / 01 / 2017 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Tripteris aghillana

Common names: sheep bush, sheep boneseed (Eng.); skaapbos, bietou, sagtebietou (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

See Osteospermum scariosum...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG

Thilachium africanum

Common names: cucumber bush (Eng.); komkommerbos (Afr.); nkobva (Tso.); isikonke (Zul.)

Family: Capparaceae

An awesome small tree with the most attractive flowers....

22 / 04 / 2019 | Sephatle Evans Molekoa | Lowveld NBG

Trachyandra falcata

Veldkool (Tralchyandra falcata) plant flowering in its native habitat near Langebaan, Western Cape.

Common names: Namaqua wild cabbage (Eng.); namakwakool, veldkool, bokkool (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

Trachyandra falcata is a fast-growing, summer-dormant, perennial geophyte, easily propagated from seed. The young inflorescences are harvested in winter...

27 / 05 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Tagetes minuta

Common names: khaki bush, khaki weed, African marigold (Eng.); kakiebos, khakibos, langkakiebos, stinkbos, stinkkhakibos, transvaalse kakiebos (Afr.); mbanje (isiNd

Family: Asteraceae

Khaki bush planted around your house will provide you with a very good early-warning security system. The strong odor of the bush when crushed will immediately...

27 / 02 / 2017 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Thunbergia atriplicifolia

Common names: Natal primrose (Eng.) isiphondo esincane (isiZulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

Thunbergia atriplicifolia is a softly hairy herbaceous shrublet with several stems that grow from a woody rootstock and beautiful creamy yellow flowers...

15 / 01 / 2024 | Mashudu Tshitereke | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Tulista

Common names: miniature aloe, pearl plant (Eng.); vratjiesaalwyn, kleinaalwyn, seepaalwyn (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

These attractive, dwarf, leaf succulents, with their often white-tuberculed leaves in compact rosettes, are very popular among succulent plant collectors....

30 / 09 / 2019 | Ronell R. Klopper | National Herbarium Pretoria

Toddalia asiatica

Common names: orange climber (Eng); ranklemoentjie (Afr); gwambadzi (Venda)

Family: Rutaceae

Did you know that we have an indigenous orange in South Africa? This plant,Toddalia asiatica, is a woody vine (a liana) and bears fruit which, although...

17 / 01 / 2005 | Jean Meyer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Triumfetta annua

Common names: bur weed, lesser cockle bur, annual triumfetta (Eng.); klitsbossie (Afr.); umhlabangubo (isiXhosa)

Family: Malvaceae

...

23 / 11 / 2015 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria

Tulbaghia natalensis

Common names: sweet wild garlic, pink wild garlic (Eng.); soetwildeknoffel (Afr.); iswele lezinyoka (isiZulu)

Family: Alliaceae

One of South Africa’s endemic species, this attractive wild garlic is definitely a go to when looking for low maintenance plants....

10 / 06 / 2024 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG

Thesium viridifolium

Common names: green root-thug

Family: Santalaceae

A much-branched, densely leafy shrub bearing attractive, small, white flowers that are crowded in dense rounded heads at the tips of the branches....

25 / 11 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Tylosema esculentum

Common names: gemsbok bean, marama bean, camel’s foot (Eng.); braaiboontjie, gemsbokboontjie, kastaingboontjie (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Tylosema esculentum is a long-lived, underutilized, drought-tolerant, perennial legume that grows wild on the arid and semi-arid grasslands of southern...

28 / 02 / 2022 | Thembeka Malwane | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Talinum caffrum

Common names: porcupine root (Eng.); osbossie, ystervarkwortel, ystervarkkos, wildevygie (Afr.); mphunyaka, kgalahete, punyuka bamphethe (Tsw.); impunyu, inkucula

Family: Talinaceae

A drought resistant, deciduous perennial with a large tuberous caudex, edible succulent leaves and short-lived yellow flowers in summer....

09 / 12 / 2019 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG

Tulbaghia pretoriensis

Common names: Pretoria wild garlic (Eng.); Pretoria-wildeknoffel (Afr.)

Family: Alliaceae

A little-known and recently described species of wild garlic endemic to Pretoria with sweetly fragrant coconut-scented flowers that is low maintenance...

02 / 09 / 2024 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG

Tripteris clandestina

Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This plant is now called Osteospermum monstrosum (Burm.f.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt...

11 / 07 / 2022 | | Walter Sisulu NBG

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