Plants of the Week

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E.g., 22/12/2024
E.g., 22/12/2024

Metarungia longistrobus

In flower
Common names: sunbird bush (Eng.); sonbekkiebos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Metarungia longistrobus is an unusual, attractive evergreen shrub for the shade garden, with long orange-brown flowers in candle-shaped inflorescences...

25 / 02 / 2013 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Syncarpha recurvata

Fresh everlasting flowerhead.  Image G.A. Verboom
Common names: None recorded.
Family: Asteraceae

Syncarpha recurvata is a small, shrubby daisy with pretty pink flowerheads and attractive silvery foliage. This low shrub is endemic to a small area...

18 / 02 / 2013 | Nicola Bergh | Compton Herbarium
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Erica quadrangularis

White form in flower
Common names: baby heath, square heath
Family: Ericaceae

Erica quadrangularis is an easy-to-grow, graceful shrub, which turns white or pink during late winter, spring to early summer.when it gets covered in...

18 / 02 / 2013 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium pseudoglutinosum

Flowers
Family: Geraniaceae

This is a  fairly large, attractive pelargonium, which flowers throughout the year....

11 / 02 / 2013 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berula repanda

Berula repanda
Common names: Water parsnip
Family: Apiaceae

Berula repanda is a luxuriantly foliaged plant, ideal for a garden pond or wet patch, and it is in full flower now....

11 / 02 / 2013 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium
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Erica verticillata

Erica verticillata Belvedere in the Erica garden at Kirstenbosch
Common names: whorled heath, marsh heath
Family: Ericaceae

How could a plant as hardy and strikingly beautiful as Erica verticillata have been allowed to reach the precipice of extinction? Fortunately the story...

04 / 02 / 2013 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Englerophytum natalense

Fruits and leaves.Image Geoff Nichols
Common names: Natal or silverleaf milkplum (Eng.); Natalmelkpruim (Afr.); umThongwane (isiZulu, isiXhosa); ithunga, umThungwane (isiXhosa); umTjongane (isiSwati)
Family: Sapotaceae

An attractive garden plant, a tree with edible fruit and white-to-cream flowers....

04 / 02 / 2013 | F Nonyane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Portulacaria armiana

Flower stalk
Common names: Whipstick-porkbush, large-leafed spekboom (Eng.); grootblaar-spekboom, sweepstok spekboom (Afr.)
Family: Portulacaceae

Portulacaria armiana is a large succulent-leafed shrub bearing grey-green leaves and long perennial whipstick-like branches with sprays of soft white flowers....

28 / 01 / 2013 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Conophytum ficiforme

Plants in flower
Common names: button plants (Eng.); knopies (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Conophytums, these peculiar gems with their highly reduced leaves and exposed surfaces, and with flowers resembling miniature shaving brushes, have fascinated...

28 / 01 / 2013 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Satyrium princeps

Part of flower stalk
Common names: red satyr orchid (Eng.); rooitrewwa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Satyrium princeps is a handsome but threatened terrestrial orchid from coastal sands in the southern part of the Western and Eastern Cape. Its long-lasting...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berkeya barbata

Berkheya barbata
Common names: coast thistle (Eng.); kus-dissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A beauty to admire but painful to touch: handle with care. These sunflower-like daisies often make very attractive displays, but the thorns on the leaves,...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Leucospermum lineare

Flower of yellow form
Common names: needle-leaf pincushion, narrow-leaf pincushion, tangerine pincushion, assegaaibos pincushion (Eng.); smalblaarspeldekussing, luisiesbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Leucospermum lineare is a medium-sized shrub well suited to a larger, informal garden. The yellow sprawling form can also be planted in pots....

14 / 01 / 2013 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senegalia mellifera subsp. detinens

Flowers of Senegalia mellifera subsp. detinens
Common names: black thorn (Eng.); swarthaak, blouhaak, hakiesdoring (Afr.); monga (Tswana); mongangatau (Northern Sotho); munembedzi (Tshivenda); monkana (Siswati)
Family: Fabaceae

This is a thorny shrub or small tree with sweetly scented flowers and with hard, attractive wood....

14 / 01 / 2013 | F Nonyane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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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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Nemesia suaveolens

Nemesia suaveolens
Common names: fragrant nemesia
Family: Scrophulariaceae

...

07 / 01 / 2013 | J Ready | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Lapeirousia corymbosa

Lapeirousia corymbosa
Common names: blue cabong (Eng.); bloucabong, koringblom, koringblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Lapeirousia corymbosa is now classified as Codonorhiza corymbosa  ...

07 / 01 / 2013 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Euryops linearis

Euryops linearis
Common names: De Hoop euryops (Eng.)
Family: Asteraceae

Euryops linearis is a showy, easy-to-grow, tall shrub, covered with bright yellow daisies in spring....

31 / 12 / 2012 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Grewia robusta

Flowers and fruits of Grewia robusta
Common names: Karoo crossberry, Karoo crossberry raisin (Eng.); karookruisbessie (Afr); umnqabaza (Xhosa).
Family: Malvaceae

The sweetly scented Grewia robusta has beautiful, bright pink flowers. It is a frost-resistant, hardy shrub or small tree that is adaptable to...

24 / 12 / 2012 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Anastrabe integerrima

Photo copyright Geoff Nichol
Common names: pambati tree (Eng.); isipambatihout , pambatihout , pambatieboom (Afr.); isiBhembedu, isiNqunjana (Z); isiPambatho (Z, X)
Family: Stilbaceae

With its clusters of custard-yellow pouch-shaped flowers combined with very attractive leaves that contrast their dark green tops with silvery white and...

24 / 12 / 2012 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica scabriuscula

Flowers with bee
Common names: none recorded
Family: Ericaceae

Erica scabriuscula is a most impressive, hardy erica that grows into a large bush covered with thousands of small white to pale pink flowers through...

17 / 12 / 2012 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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