Plants of the Week

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E.g., 21/12/2024
E.g., 21/12/2024

Seriphium plumosum

Slangbos
Common names: silver stoebe (Eng.); slangbos, vaalbossie, Khoi-kooigoed (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This intricately branched, heath-like shrublet is well known to hikers who use the plant to make soft mattresses when sleeping outdoors. It might be better...

14 / 06 / 2004 | L Badenhorst | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senegalia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha

Leaves and seedpods
Common names: white-stem thorn (Eng.); witdoring (Afr.); mooka, mpho-kamagwa (Northern Sotho); xigatlu, nkowankowa (Tswana)?; tshikwalo (Venda); umnga (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

This is one of the most attractive acacias in Africa. It often has one stem with branching commencing fairly high up, and a neat flattish crown. It has...

13 / 06 / 2005 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Senegalia nigrescens

Senegalia nigrescens
Common names: knob thorn (Eng.); knoppiesdoring (Afr.); muunga (Tshivenda); mooka (Sepedi); umKhaya (Zulu)
Family: Fabaceae

Senegalia nigrescens is a deciduous, small to medium-sized tree which occurs in various savanna regions, often at low altitudes, and in rocky areas, on...

12 / 09 / 2011 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria
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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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Senegalia galpinii

Senegalia galpinii
Common names: monkey-thorn (Eng.), Tshikwalo (Tshivenda), apiesdoring (Afr.), Molopa (North Sotho)
Family: Fabaceae

This is a large tree with luxuriant, light green foliage, making it ideal for a big garden, avenue or park. It is also valued by farmers.  This tree...

20 / 01 / 2003 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Pretoria NBG
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Senegalia caffra

Flowers of Senegalia caffra
Common names: common hook-thorn, cat thorn(English); gewone haakdoring, katdoring (Afrikaans); umTholo (Zulu); Motholo (N. Sotho); Morutlhare (Tswana); Mbvhinya-xih
Family: Fabaceae

This beautiful tree is the most common naturally occurring senegalia in the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden. It may reach up to 14m and has an...

22 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Senegalia burkei

Senegalia burkei (Alex Dreyer)
Common names: black monkey-thorn (Eng.); swartapiesdoring (Afr.); umkhaya wehlalahlathi, umbabampala (isiZulu); umkhaya (siSwati); mokgwa, mokoba (Setswana); mokwar
Family: Fabaceae

Senegalia burkei is a distinctive deciduous tree that can be identified easily throughout the year. It has spikes of creamy white flowers in early summer,...

21 / 03 / 2016 | Thobile Mlaba | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Senegalia ataxacantha

A.ataxacantha flowers
Common names: Flamethorn (E), Vlamdoring / Rank wag-'n-bietjie (Afr), umThathawe (Z), Mologa (N.Sotho), Mogôkatau (Setsw), Muluwa (V), umNga (X).
Family: Fabaceae

The most striking feature of this plant are the deep red to purple-red pods which are held in conspicuous bunches and account for the common name "flame...

14 / 05 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Senecio voigtii

Senecio voigtii
Common names: Voigt’s senecio
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio voigtii is an attractive, multi-stemmed shrublet, 300-600 mm tall, from the dry river valleys in the Eastern Cape. It is immediately recognized...

09 / 03 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio tamoides

Flowers and leaves
Common names: canary creeper ( Eng. ); kanarieklimop (Afr.); uqobaqoba (Zulu)
Family: Asteraceae

...

04 / 04 / 2005 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio speciosissimus

Senecio speciosissimus flowers
Common names: none
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio speciosissimus boasts attractive flower heads of pink to mauve flowers from July to December, although it seems to flower more abundantly during...

03 / 11 / 2013 | Benjamin Festus | Harold Porter NBG
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Senecio oxyriifolius

Senecio oxyriifolius has discoid, yellow flowerheads
Common names: false nasturtium (Eng.); kappertjieblaar (Afr.); idumbe, idumbe lasendhle, ihlula (isiZulu)
Family: Asteraceae

An unusual succulent herb with ornamental nasturtium-like leaves that is a rewarding, low maintenance and water-wise garden plant or container plant for...

20 / 06 / 2016 | Lungani Mlaba | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Senecio maritimus

Senecio maritimus
Common names: beach senecio, beach groundsel (Eng.); strandhongerblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A somewhat succulent annual, ideally suited to coastal gardens and common along the Western Cape coast, where its bright yellow flowers light up large...

04 / 11 / 2019 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio macroglossus

Senecio macroglossus
Common names: flowering Ivy, madeliefie-klimop, Cape Ivy, Natal Ivy,
Family: Asteraceae

At first glance, Senecio macroglossus looks like a kind of ivy, but on closer inspection, the bright yellow daisy flowers amongst the foliage make it clear...

04 / 03 / 2002 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio macrocephalus

Senecio macrocephalus
Common names: ngoakoane-ea-loti, sebea-mollo (South Sotho); ihlaba lenkomo (Xhosa); mountain senecio (Eng.)
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio macrocephalus is one of the first large pink-flowered senecios to flower in the grassveld in early spring and often shows up as large patches...

12 / 12 / 2011 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Senecio littoreus

Senecio littoreus
Common names: coast senecio (Eng.), geelhongerblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio littoreus is a small, but tough, erect annual, well suited to extreme coastal conditions....

16 / 11 / 2015 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio inornatus

Flowerheads
Common names: tall marsh senecio (Eng.); groot vlei-senecio (Afr.); Inkanga, Uhlabo (isiZulu); Lehlongoana-le-leholo (Southern Sotho).
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio inornatus is a tall robust plant that does not go unnoticed in any grassland or wetland. These solitary plants are often much taller than the...

21 / 04 / 2014 | Cynthia Mikateko Baloyi | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Senecio hederiformis

Senecio hederiformis flower and leaves
Common names: ivy-leaved senecio
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio hederiformis is a rare and still relatively poorly known species from the high-altitude grasslands of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province, South Africa....

22 / 06 / 2009 | Lize Von Staden | TSP
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Senecio glastifolius

Senecio glastifolius
Common names: large wild cineraria, holly-leaf senecio (Eng.); waterdissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

In late spring it is difficult to miss Senecio glastifolius at Kirstenbosch, for it fills many of the beds with splashes of mauve....

07 / 10 / 2002 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senecio gerrardii

Capitula of Senecio gerrardii.
Common names: foma, leshwabe, moroborobo o monyenyane (Sesotho)
Family: Asteraceae

Visitors to wetland areas in Mpumalanga would be very familiar with this very characteristic species. It is particularly common in the Verlorenvlei area,...

17 / 07 / 2017 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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