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Eragrostis superba

Common names: saw-tooth love grass, flat-seed love grass (Eng.); bosluissaadgras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

The large, flat, attractive spikelets on inflorescences that occur well above the basal tuft of leaves make this one of the easiest Eragrostis...

18 / 07 / 2005 | L Fish | National Herbarium Pretoria

Englerophytum magalismontanum

Common names: Transvaal milkplum (Eng.); stamvrug (Afr.), motlhatswa (Tswana); mohlatswa (Northern Sotho); munombelo (Venda); amanumbela (Zulu); umnumbela (Swati) O

Family: Sapotaceae

This species is better known by its Afrikaans name, stamvrug and is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, a thirst quencher to...

24 / 02 / 2003 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Encephalartos lanatus

Common names: Woolly cycad (Eng.)

Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos lanatus is normally a medium-sized, single-stemmed plant about 1–1,5 m high. In the garden, it enjoys a position in full sun...

31 / 03 / 2008 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Empodium elongatum

Common names: autumn star

Family: Hypoxidaceae

Autumn stars, elusive among grasses, are spotted by their bright yellow starry flowers....

28 / 10 / 2013 | N Mahvungu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Elionurus muticus

Common names: wire grass, wire lemongrass, lemon grass, lemon-scented grass, matrass grass, silky grass, simon grass, sour grass, wine grass (Eng.); elsgras, haasgr

Family: Poaceae

Elionurus muticus is an ornamental grass that forms dense tufts with wiry, narrow leaf blades and showy, curved inflorescences. This grass is easily distinguished...

01 / 08 / 2022 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Elephantorrhiza elephantina

Common names: eland's bean, eland's wattle, elephant's root (Eng.); baswortel, elandsboontjie, leerbossie, looiersboontjie, olifantswortel (Afr.); mupangara (Shona)

Family: Fabaceae

Underground trees might sound like a new environmentalist movement, but these fascinating plants do exist in reality. In more than one way, they've...

12 / 07 / 2010 | Alicia Grobler | Pretoria NBG

Elephantorrhiza burkei

Common names: elephant-root, sumach bean (Eng.); basboontjie, basbos (Afr.) lesitsane (Northern Sotho); mositsane, mosidi, mosidi-godimo, mosidi-mogolo (Tswana), ts

Family: Fabaceae

This low -growing tree boasts fragrant, creamy white to yellow flowers in early summer and can also be successfully grown in a container, as it has a non-aggressive...

18 / 09 / 2017 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ehretia rigida

Common names: puzzle bush (Eng.); deurmekaarbos (Afr.); umHlele (Zulu); Morobe (Northern Sotho); iBotshane (Xhosa); Mutepe (Venda)

Family: Boraginaceae

Ehretia rigida is a deciduous small tree or shrub, usually multi-stemmed, with an untidy rounded crown. It has tangled branches which arch downwards or...

23 / 12 / 2003 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG

Dyschoriste setigera

Common names: Fairy Stars

Family: Acanthaceae

This is a delightful low-growing groundcover up to 150-300mm high that requires little or no maintenance and is particularly suitable for water-wise gardens...

31 / 03 / 2014 | Zoleka Maphanga | Kirstenbosch NBG

Drimia sanguinea

Common names: red squill (Eng.), rooislangkop, gifbol (Afr.), sekanama, skanama (Sepedi), umahlogolozi (isiZulu).

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Although this is a beautiful bulbous plant with great horticultural potential for gardens and containers it is not recommended for gardening because it...

10 / 03 / 2025 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG

Drimia altissima

Common names: tall white squill (Eng.); jeukbol, maermanbol, maermanui (Afr.); lukhovu (Siswati), isiklenama, umahlokolosi, umgulube (isiZulu)

Family: Hyacinthaceae

If you are looking for one of those mass flowering, tall bulbs, this is the one....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG

Dovyalis zeyheri

Cythna Letty illustration in Flowering Plants of Africa.

Common names: wild apricot (E), wilde-appelkoos (A), umNyazuma (Z), umQokokolo (X), morethema (NS)

Family: Salicaceae

This is a tree with a most unusual and apparently unexplained feature. At certain times of the year the leaves emit a smell resembling that of carrion....

22 / 04 / 2002 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Dombeya pulchra

Common names: silver white pear (Eng.); blombos (Afr.)

Family: Malvaceae

The silver white pear is a beautiful shrub or small tree ideal for the wooded or semi-shaded areas of your garden....

15 / 08 / 2005 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia

Common names: sand olive (Eng.); sandolien, ysterbos (Afr.); mutata-vhana (Venda); mutepipuma (Shona)

Family: Sapindaceae

This well known, drought and wind resistant, indigenous plant can grow into a shrub as it is usually multi-stemmed, or a small tree when the lower branches...

27 / 02 / 2012 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Dipogon lignosus

Common names: Cape sweet pea (Eng.), mile-a-minute vine, dolichos pea (Australia); bosklimop, rankertjie, wilde-ertjie (Afr.) (= Dolichos lignosus L. and D. gibbosu

Family: Fabaceae

The Cape sweet pea "is a delicate and beautiful twiner and well worth cultivating" (Pole Evans 1931). This plant is a semi-evergreen, hardy perennial...

13 / 02 / 2012 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon

Common names: Rhodesian rubber tree, horn-pod tree, wild rubber (Eng.); horingpeultjieboom, horingpeulbos, melkbos (Afr.); mutowa (Shona); tsowa (Tsonga); ntsowa, m

Family: Apocynaceae

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon grows either as a shrub or as a small, graceful tree with drooping branches. Although it is seldom found in gardens, the...

04 / 12 / 2006 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Diospyros whyteana

Common names: bladder-nut, blackbark (Eng.); swartbas (Afr.); mohlatsane (NS); munyavhili (V); umTenatane(X); uManzimane or umKahze(Z)

Family: Ebenaceae

This enticing little tree has so many wonderful features: dark green, strikingly glossy leaves; creamy fragrant flowers; unusual smooth, dark grey, almost...

24 / 06 / 2002 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Diospyros lycioides

Common names: bluebush, star-apple, monkey plum (Eng.); bloubos (Afr.); Muthala (Venda); Lethanyu (Tswana); Monkga-nku (Southern Sotho); Mtloumana (Northern Sotho);

Family: Ebenaceae

This exciting shrub or small tree is a very tough plant which grows well country-wide. Its most attractive features are its smooth bark, blue-green leaves,...

26 / 09 / 2005 | Luambo David Rambuwani | Free State NBG

Diospyros austro-africana

Common names: fire-sticks, star-apple (Eng.); kritikom, jakkalsbos, vuurmaakbossie, kraaibessie (Afr.); liperekisi-tsa-makhoaba, senokonoko (South Sotho), umbhongis

Family: Ebenaceae

Diospyros austro-africana is a beautiful indigenous shrub or small tree that bears little cream, pink and even red lantern-like flowers. Not only attractive...

03 / 11 / 2008 | Luambo David Rambuwani | Free State NBG

Dioscorea sylvatica

Common names: forest elephant’s foot, forest tortoise plant, elephant’s foot yam, wild yam (Eng.); olifantsvoet, skilpadknol (Afr.); nakaa, usikolipati (isiXhos

Family: Dioscoreaceae

Dioscorea sylvatica, commonly known by the name of wild yam, is a slow-growing, caudiciform plant that has an interesting structure which gives it great...

07 / 08 / 2023 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG

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