Plants of the Week

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E.g., 14/10/2024
E.g., 14/10/2024

Xylotheca kraussiana

Male flower X. kraussiana  © Geoff Nichols
Common names: African dog rose (Eng.); umbalekani, isishwashwa (Zulu); umdubu (Xhosa); Afrikaanse hondsroos (Afr.)
Family: Achariaceae

The African dog rose, Xylotheca kraussiana, is a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree that forms a good focal point in a garden with its beautiful flowers...

02 / 08 / 2004 | R Williams | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Xylia torreana

Xylia torreana
Common names: hairy sand-ash (Eng.); harige sandessenhout (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

An attractive deciduous tree with fragrant yellow flowers in little balls in early summer, followed by large, woody pods....

24 / 12 / 2018 | Sephatle Evans Molekoa | Lowveld NBG
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Ximenia caffra

Ximenia caffra © Geoff Nichols
Common names: large sourplum (Eng.); grootsuurpruim (Afr.); umThunduluka-obmvu (Zulu); Morokologa (Northern Sotho)
Family: Olacaceae

The large sourplum is a small tree or shrub with many traditional uses and colourful fruit. It is suited to growing in a bush clump or as part of a boundary...

23 / 08 / 2004 | J K Baloyi | Pretoria NBG
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Ximenia americana var. microphylla

Ximenia americana var. microphylla
Common names: small blue sourplum (Eng.); kleinblousuurpruim (Afr.); ukolotshane, umtunduluka-omncane, umkholotshwana (Zul.);umtfundvuluka, umthunduluka (Swa.); nt
Family: Olacaceae

A spiny shrub of African savannas that bears brightly coloured, edible fruits, and has a long history of medicinal value for traditional healers and western...

20 / 07 / 2020 | Mpho Mathalauga | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Xerophyta retinervis

Xerophyta retinervis in flower
Common names: black-stick lily ( Eng.); besembos, bobbejaanstert (Afr.); sifunti (Swazi); isigqumana, isiphmba (Zulu)
Family: Velloziaceae

Xerophyta retinervis is a fascinating plant with blackened stems in the winter months but totally transformed in the early summer when covered with...

02 / 06 / 2008 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Xanthocercis zambesiaca

Xanthocercis zambesiaca
Common names: nyala tree (Eng.); njalaboom, hoenderspoor (Afr.); moladi (Setswana); umhlwati (siSwati); mutshato (Tshivenda)
Family: Fabaceae

This is a large impressive, evergreen tree with an exceptional dense, rounded to wide-spreading crown of glossy, drooping, dark green leaves and sprays...

17 / 06 / 2019 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Wurmbea stricta

Wurmbea stricta
Common names: vleiblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Colchicaceae

Scantily known in cultivation, the starry pink-and-white flowers of this easily grown cormous plant really deserve a place in containers, shallow garden...

27 / 06 / 2005 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Wurmbea marginata

Common names: Spider lily (Eng.), Swartkoppie (Afr.)
Family: Colchicaceae

...

13 / 06 / 2011 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Wurmbea elatior

Wurmbea elatior
Common names: pepper-and-salt flower (Eng.); sout-en-peper-blommetjie (Afr.); khahlana-ea-loti (seSotho)
Family: Colchicaceae

Wurmbea elatior is an attractive plant with striking white flowers marked with dark reddish purple and can be easily identified by its musky smell....

12 / 06 / 2023 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Witsenia maura

Witsenia maura. Photo J Manning
Common names: Bokmakierie's tail (Eng.); waaiertjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

This plant is one of the most striking woody iris shrubs; very different from the familiar herbaceous genera such as the Iris and Gladiolus, but equally...

09 / 06 / 2003 | Antonia Xaba | Harold Porter NBG
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Withania somnifera

Withania somnifera leaves and fruit
Common names: winter cherry (Eng.); bitterappelliefie, geneesblaarbossie, koorshout (Afr.); bofepha (Sotho); ubuvuma (Xhosa); ubuvimbha (Zulu); ashwagandha (Hindi).
Family: Solanaceae

Fruits of this plant were found in a floral collar of the innermost coffin of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. (Mabberley 2008 : 911)....

05 / 12 / 2011 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Willdenowia teres

Willdenowia teres
Common names: None recorded.
Family: Restionaceae

Willdenowia teres belongs to a genus of 12 species of restio, 6 of which occur on the Cape Peninsula. It is a tall rhizomatous plant with male and female...

22 / 07 / 2015 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Willdenowia incurvata

Willdenowia incurvata
Common names: sonkwas restio (Eng.); sonkwasriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This is a tough, densely tufted plant that can be used as an accent plant and is ideal for fynbos gardens. The plants produce attractive brown bracts during...

01 / 07 / 2019 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Widdringtonia schwarzii

Growing in habitat
Common names: Baviaanskloof cedar, Willowmore cedar (Eng.); Baviaanskloofseder (Afr.)
Family: Cupressaceae

Widdringtonia schwarzii is an ancient giant from the Baviaanskloof Mountains, often with a gnarled trunk and spreading branches, which can reach 40...

23 / 04 / 2007 | C Cowell | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Widdringtonia nodiflora

Growing in Kirstenbosch
Common names: mountain cedar, mountain cypress ( Eng.); bergsipres (Afr.)
Family: Cupressaceae

Widdringtonia nodiflora is a bush/tree with a columnar crown and attains a height of 5-7 m. The slender and upright form of the mountain cedar during...

20 / 03 / 2006 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Widdringtonia cedarbergensis

Widdringtonia cedarbergensis in habitat
Common names: Clanwilliam cedar, Cape cedar (Eng.); Clanwilliamseder, sederboom (Afr.)
Family: Cupressaceae

The Cederberg* region was named after the Clanwilliam cedar, which used to be a prominent feature of the Cederberg but which today is a rare sight. They...

23 / 06 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitschia mirabilis in habitat (Ernst van Jaarsveld)
Common names: welwitschia (Eng.), tumboa, n'tumbo (Angolan), tweeblaarkanniedood (Afr.), !kharos (Nama/Damara), nyanka (Damara), khurub (Nama), onyanga (Herero)
Family: Welwitschiaceae

Weird, peculiar, wonderful, strange, bizarre, fascinating, and of course, unique, are the kind of words that are used to describe the welwitschia. It is...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Watsonia vanderspuyiae

Watsonia vanderspuyiae
Common names: bergsuurkanol (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia vanderspuyiae is a robust geophyte with bright red tubular flowers. It attracts sunbirds and is an ideal candidate for large fynbos gardens,...

21 / 11 / 2011 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Watsonia tabularis

Watsonia tabularis, pink
Common names: Table Mountain watsonia (Eng.); suurkanol, kanolpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia tabularis has showy summer flowers, attracts Sunbirds and Sugarbirds and is well suited to fynbos gardens....

14 / 12 / 2015 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Watsonia strictiflora

Watsonia strictiflora
Common names: Klipheuwel watsonia (Eng.); Klipheuwel lakpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia strictiflora is a striking, rose-pink-flowered, dwarf species with peculiar perianth tubes that are straight and constricted below and strongly...

28 / 11 / 2016 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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