Plants of the Week

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E.g., 07/09/2024
E.g., 07/09/2024

Cyrtanthus elatus

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
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Coleus livingstonei

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
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Carruanthus peersii

Carruanthus peersii in flower in cultivation
Common names: Toorwaterpoort mesemb (Eng.); Toorwatervygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Carruanthus peersii is only known from the cliffs of Toorwaterpoort. It is a small, cliff-hugging, branched shrublet becoming a hanger with age, with pale...

28 / 08 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cephalophyllum parviflorum

Cephalophyllum parviflorum in flower
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
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Codonorhiza corymbosa

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
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Cannomois grandis

Cannomois grandis, female plant
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
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Cotyledon woodii

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
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Commelina benghalensis

Commelina benghalesis (Geoff Nichols)
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
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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
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Ceropegia crassifolia var. crassifolia

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
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Chaenostoma uncinatum

Chaenostoma uncinatum flower
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
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Combretum zeyheri

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
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Ceratotheca saxicola

Common names: rock foxglove (Eng.); rotsvingerhoedblom (Afr.)
Family: Pedaliaceae

Ceratotheca saxicola is now known as Sesamum saxicola ...

21 / 09 / 2023 | | Pretoria NBG
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Chloris virgata

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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Crassula capensis

Crassula capensis
Common names: Cape snowdrop (Eng.); skaamblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

A tiny deciduous perennial, with spectacular, snowy white, star-shaped flowers in winter....

07 / 06 / 2021 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG
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Cylindrophyllum comptonii

Cylindrophyllum comptonii
Common names: Little Karoo finger vygie (Eng.); vingervygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Cylindrophyllum comptonii is a tough, mat-forming, cushion-like, succulent plant and thrives in nutrient-poor soils. With its finger-like leaves, this...

25 / 03 / 2019 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Crassula tetragona

Crassula tetragona ssp. robusta
Common names: kerkei, miniature pine tree, mini pine (Eng.); karkai (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

An attractive, hardy, evergreen succulent plant with a compact upright habit, dark green, sword-shaped leaves that curve upwards and creamy white flowers....

30 / 10 / 2023 | Thato Moeketsane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Calopsis paniculata

See Restio paniculatus....

| | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Cordylogyne globosa

Cordylogyne globosa, rounded flowerhead
Common names: none
Family: Apocynaceae

Cordylogyne globosa grows from a perennial tuber that looks somewhat like a white carrot, into long, slender stems and leaves, hidden amongst other tall...

02 / 01 / 2017 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cymbopogon caesius

Cymbopogon caesius
Common names: common turpentine grass, broad-leaved turpentine grass (Eng.); lemoengras, buchugras (Afr.); iMbanjana (Ndebele); muWaa (Kalanga); Moshanyna-oa-marall
Family: Poaceae

Cymbopogon caesius is a densely tufted perennial grass, which has swollen lowest racemes (an unbranched inflorescence axis with pedicellate spikelets)...

22 / 06 / 2015 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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