Plants of the Week

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E.g., 12/11/2024
E.g., 12/11/2024

Gladiolus serpenticola

Gladiolus serpenticola
Common names: serpentine sword lily, serpentine gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

A striking, attractive, summer-flowering plant, with spectacular, giant flower spikes of 18 to 30, small, pale pink flowers with pale mauve markings on...

08 / 08 / 2022 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Kniphofia ichopensis

Kniphofia ichopensis
Common names: Ixopo red-hot poker (Eng.), Ixopovuurpyl (Afr.) icacane (isiZulu).
Family: Asphodelaceae

This is a delicate, grass-like plant, with dull green, distichous leaves and mostly creamy or rarely pink flowers in a lax inflorescence in summer....

08 / 08 / 2022 | Bongekile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Elionurus muticus

Elionurus muticus spikelet. Photo Marinda Koekemoer
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
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Erica retorta

Erica retorta
Common names: hair-leaf bottle heath, bottle heath (Eng.), bottelheide, flessieheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica retorta is one of the sticky-flowered ericas that grows on the dry mountain slopes above the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, in Betty’s...

01 / 08 / 2022 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG
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Thereianthus bulbiferus

Thereianthus bulbiferus, patent flowers
Common names: bulb-bearing summer pipes (Eng.); somerpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

An attractive plant with moderately dense spikes of light to mid-blue flowers that blossom in abundance in burnt veld, which makes it difficult to miss....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Drimia altissima

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
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Adromischus umbraticola

Adromischus umbraticola growing in the Magaliesberg. Photo Richard Gill
Common names: cliff adromischus (Eng); krans-brosplakkie (Afr)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus umbraticola is a fast-growing, tufted, dwarf, succulent shrub, with attractive rounded leaves and short spikes of pink flowers in late summer....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
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Berkheya multijuga

Berkheya multijuga
Common names: spiny berg thistle, thorny mountain thistle (Eng.); doringrige-bergdissel (Afr.); mohatollo ntsoa-ntsane-ea-loti (seSotho); imboziso emhlophe, ukhakha
Family: Asteraceae

The roughness of the bright green leaves in a rosette formation makes the Berkheya multijuga irresistible to watch....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Penaea cneorum

Penaea cneorum
Common names: common brickleaf, common noughts-and-crosses, naughty crosses (Eng.)
Family: Penaeaceae

Penaea cneorum is a lanky shrub with leathery foliage and compact spikes of small yellow flowers that rest upon distinctive greenish-yellow bracts and...

11 / 07 / 2022 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Monoculus monstrosus

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 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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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 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Osteospermum monstrosum

Osteospermum monstrosum
Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Osteospermum monstrosum is arguably the commonest Namaqualand spring annual. Most people will have noticed these small plants with yellow flowerheads and...

11 / 07 / 2022 | Nicola Bergh | Compton Herbarium
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Drimia sphaerocephala

Drimia sphaerocephala, rounded flowerhead. Photo Garth Bushell
Common names: round-head drimia (Eng.); snotuintjie (Afr.); hlare-sa-noko (Sesotho).
Family: Hyacinthaceae

The phrase “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” is well expressed by the plant Drimia sphaerocephala. A bulbous plant wearing a rounded,...

04 / 07 / 2022 | Lesiba Papo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stilbe ericoides

Stilbe ericoides
Common names: pink stilbe (Eng.)
Family: Stilbaceae

Pink stilbe is an erect or straggling, resprouting, ericoid shrub with densely leafy, velvety branches and pink flowers in dense, rounded spikes at the...

04 / 07 / 2022 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria lachenalioides

Ledebouria lachenalioides, in flower. ANDREW HANKEY
Common names: pink African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A rare bulbous plant from high in the Drakensberg, with broadly lanceolate, green leaves and large, pink flowers in spring....

27 / 06 / 2022 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Albizia versicolor

Albizia versicolor, leaves and flowers, Lowveld NBG. Photo Alice Notten
Common names: poison-pod albizia, large-leaved albizia, large-leaved false-thorn, (Eng.); umphiso, umbhangazi, umvangazi (isiZulu); grootblaarvalsdoring, sandkiaat
Family: Fabaceae

Albizia versicolor is a very attractive tree with its large white to greenish-yellow flower heads, bright green to reddish pods and straight trunk with...

27 / 06 / 2022 | Sboniso Zwane | Pretoria NBG
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Cissampelos capensis

Cissampelos capensis
Common names: Cape moonseed vine (Eng.); dawidjies, davidjes, dawidjieswortel, dawedjieswortel, fynblaarklimop (Afr.); umayisake (isiXhosa)
Family: Menispermaceae

Cissampelos capensis is a tough, slow-growing, sprawling or climbing shrublet with beautiful bluish-green foliage, and is a well-known medicinal plant...

20 / 06 / 2022 | Laura Dineo Selepe | Karoo Desert NBG
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Serruria zeyheri

Serruria zeyheri
Common names: matchstick spiderhead (Eng.); vuurhoutjiespinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A rarely seen, rounded shrub with impressive, loosely aggregated flowerheads made up of flowers that look like matchsticks before they open....

20 / 06 / 2022 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crassula pellucida

Crassula pellucida subsp. pellucida
Common names: trailing crassula (Eng.); rankplakkie (Afr.); inyamayamakhwenkwe (isiXhosa)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula pellucida is a beautiful, low-growing, creeping and spreading, perennial succulent plant with starry flowers and decorative leaves, that makes...

13 / 06 / 2022 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Faucaria subintegra

Faucaria subintegra
Common names: Tyolomnqa tiger-jaw (Eng.); tierbekvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Faucaria subintegra’s innocuous teeth makes it a wonderful and unusual member of the genus, with a dense, clump-forming habit giving almost a knobby...

13 / 06 / 2022 | Nomfusi Ntsobi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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