Plants of the Week

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E.g., 03/12/2024
E.g., 03/12/2024

Bolboschoenus maritimus

Bolboschoenus maritimus
Common names: alkali bullrush (Eng.); snygras, snyruigte (Afr.)
Family: Cyperaceae

...

06 / 03 / 2006 | Victoria Wilman | Working For Wetlands
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Bolusanthus speciosus

Bolusanthus speciosa
Common names: tree wisteria; Vanwykshout (Afr.); mogaba (Northern Sotho); umHolo (Zulu) National tree list no.: 222
Family: Fabaceae

The tree wisteria is certainly one of the most spectacular of our indigenous trees when in flower, mimicking the splendour of the jacaranda, which unfortunately...

05 / 05 / 2003 | Nick Klapwijk | Pretoria NBG
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Bonatea speciosa

Bonatea speciosa
Common names: green wood orchid (Eng.); moederkappie, Oktoberlelie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Bonatea speciosa, a terrestrial orchid, is admired for its delicate, somewhat bizarre, green and white flowers. It is also comparatively easy to grow...

05 / 12 / 2005 | H Kurzweil | Compton Herbarium
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Boophone disticha

Boophone disticha
Common names: century plant, poison bulb, sore-eye flower (Eng.); gifbol, seeroogblom, kopseerblom, boesmangif, perdespook (Afr.); kxutsana-yanaha, motlatsisa (So.S
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Wherever you live in South Africa, in a summer- or winter-rainfall region, along the coast or in a semi-arid area, try Boophone disticha in your garden,...

22 / 08 / 2005 | E Lithudzha | Pretoria NBG
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Boophone haemanthoides

Boophone haemanthoides subsp. ernesti-ruschii
Common names: Namaqua century plant (Eng.); gifbol, kwaslelie(Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Boophone haemanthoides is a summer-flowering geophyte growing up to 500 mm tall. It looks very much like a primitive plant with at least two thirds of...

28 / 02 / 2011 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Boraginaceae

Trichodesma  in the Boraginaceae
Common names: forget-me-not, borage family Class: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones
Family: Boraginaceae

Members of the family Boraginaceae are herbs, shrubs or trees, characterized by leaves with rough hairs, inflorescences sometimes coiled at their tips,...

23 / 08 / 2004 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Boscia albitrunca

Boscia albitrunca
Common names: shepherd's tree (Eng.); witgat (Afr.); siPhiso (Sw), Mohlôpi (Northern Sotho); Xukutsi (Tswana); Muthobi (Venda)
Family: Brassicaceae

The shepherd's tree is the most common of the eight species in its genus and is usually found in the drier parts of southern Africa. It is often called...

08 / 08 / 2005 | Marcini Govender | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Bowiea gariepensis

Bowiea gariepensis in full flower, growing on a rocky scree
Common names: white-flowering bowiea, white bowiea, Gariep bowiea (Eng.); lopertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asparagaceae

Bowiea gariepensis is a summer-deciduous bulbous plant from the lower Orange River Valley in the Northern Cape and southern Namibia, growing singly or...

15 / 05 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Bowiea volubilis

Bowiea volubilis flowers
Common names: climbing onion, climbing green lily, bowiea (Eng.); knolklimop (Af.); ugibisisila; iguleni (isiZulu); umgaqana (isiXhosa); gibizisila (siSwati)
Family: Asparagaceae

Bowiea volubilis subsp volubilis has an unusual succulent adaptation - climbing inflorescences that harvest photosynthetic light in the absence of aerial...

14 / 03 / 2011 | Suvarna Parbhoo | CREW
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Bowkeria citrina

Image of Bowkeria citrina
Common names: yellow shell-flower bush (Eng.); geelskulpblombos (Afr.)
Family: Stilbaceae

The wonderful display of the bright yellow flowers, the fragrance of the leaves and the polished brown fruit of Bowkeria citrina, make this beautiful...

09 / 06 / 2008 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Bowkeria cymosa

Bowkeria cymosa
Common names: northern shellflower, escarpment shellflower (Eng.); noordelike skulpblombos, platorand-skulpblombos (Afr.); luchwimi (Siswati)
Family: Stilbaceae

A bushy shrub or small tree for sun or semi-shade, with dark green foliage and sprays of unusual, shell-like, white flowers in summer; a good backdrop...

04 / 09 / 2017 | Tumelo Mofokeng | Pretoria NBG
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Bowkeria verticillata

Bowkeria vercillata foliage
Common names: Southern Shell-flower, Natal Shell-flower Bush (Eng.); Suidelike Skulpblombos, Natalse Skulpblombos (Afr.); umBaba, isiPhambathi (Zulu); isiDuli, iGqa
Family: Stilbaceae

A decorative shrub that can be used to landscape your garden, with softy quilted leaves and pure white, scented flowers....

27 / 12 / 2009 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Brabejum stellatifolium

Flowers of the wild almond
Common names: bitteramandel, wild almond, wilde-amandel, ghoeboontjie, ghoekoffie
Family: Proteaceae

This tree is famous in South Africa for being used to make Van Riebeeck's Hedge, the first formal boundary marker between the new Cape colony and the...

08 / 09 / 2003 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachiaria serrata

Brachiaria serrata
Common names: red top grass, velvet signal (Eng.) ; rooisinjaalgras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

Brachiaria serrata is a perennial grass with bright green leaves and red or purplish-red spikelets covered in silky hairs....

12 / 05 / 2008 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Brachycorythis conica subsp. transvaalensis

Brachycorythis conica subsp. transvaalensis
Common names: Albertina Sisulu Orchid
Family: Orchidaceae

This beautiful and enigmatic orchid was first recorded in 1918; it was last seen in the Gauteng Province in 1956, until its rediscovery in 2007. This species...

04 / 04 / 2016 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Brachylaena discolor

Seed heads
Common names: Coast silver oak (E), Kusvaalbos (Afr.), Phahla (isiZulu), Mphahla (N.Sotho), umPhahla (isiXhosa)
Family: Asteraceae

...

06 / 01 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachylaena elliptica

Brachylaena elliptica flowers are visited by bees (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: bitterleaf, bitterleaved silver-oak, fire-sticks (Eng.); bitterblaar, suurbos (Afr); isiduli; isagqeba, umphahla (IsiXhosa); isiduli-ehlathi, igqeba-e
Family: Asteraceae

This is an attractive small tree or large shrub with interesting aromatic, dark green foliage with greyish silver undersides....

19 / 12 / 2016 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachylaena glabra

Brachylaena glabra
Common names: malbar, malabar silver-oak (Eng.); malbarboom, malblaar (Afr.); umphahla-wehlathi, amacirha (Xhosa); umphahla (Zulu)
Family: Asteraceae

A member of the Aster family, Brachylaena glabra is a lovely medium-sized tree with a spreading crown and heads of small, white flowers....

10 / 02 / 2020 | Siphesihle Precious Sibiya | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachylaena rotundata

Brachylaena rotundata
Common names: mountain silver-oak, Transvaal silver-tree (Eng.); bergvaalbos, bergvaalboom (Afr.); moswane (Tsw)
Family: Asteraceae

This tree is ideal for small to medium-sized gardens. It produces yellow, thistle-like flowers in spring and has eye-catching, silver-grey leaves, that...

14 / 05 / 2018 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachylaena transvaalensis

Brachylaena transvaalensis
Common names: forest silver-oak (Eng.); bosvaalbos, vaalboom (Afr.); umPhahla, iPhahla (Sw, Z); mphahla (NS); mufhata (V)
Family: Asteraceae

This medium to large tree with its dark green glossy leaves produces dense clusters of whitish flowers from July to September....

09 / 04 / 2012 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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