Plants of the Week

Browse through all previous entries of Plants Of The Week

  • Sort by date added
  • Sort Alphabetically
Go to Plants of the Week Advanced Search
E.g., 01/12/2024
E.g., 01/12/2024

Phoenix reclinata

Phoenix reclinata :Photo:G Nichols
Common names: wild date palm (Eng.); wilde-dadelboom (Afr.); mopalamo (Northern Sotho); moséfa (Tswana); isundu (Xhosa, Zulu)
Family: Arecaceae

This graceful palm with its characteristic slender, leaning stems is a feature of riverine bush and forest in the eastern parts of the country. It is almost...

11 / 10 / 2004 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Hyacinthaceae

Eucomis bicolor
Common names: hyacinth family
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is a family of 700-900 species of deciduous, or rarely evergreen, bulbous plants, several with brightly coloured flowers, that is well represented...

11 / 10 / 2004 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Greyia radlkoferi

Greyia radlkoferi
Common names: woolly bottlebrush, Transvaal bottlebrush, wild bottlebrush (Eng.); wollerige baakhout (Afr.); isidwadwa (Zulu); inhlazane, indlebelembila (Swazi)
Family: Melianthaceae

The gnarled branches of Greyia radlkoferi make this small tree or shrub an attractive structural element for any garden. In nature, growing in misty gullies...

11 / 10 / 2004 | De La Cruz P | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Spirostachys africana

Fruits of the tamboti.Photo: G Nichols
Common names: tamboti (Eng.); tambotie (Afr.); umThombothi (Zulu); Modiba (Northern Sotho); umThombotsi (siSwati); Ndzopfori (Tsonga); Morukuru (Tswana); Muonze (ts
Family: Euphorbiaceae

Renowned for its beautiful wood, Spirostachys africana is a medium-sized, semi-deciduous tree with a round crown which occurs in low altitude bushveld,...

04 / 10 / 2004 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Rhodocoma capensis

Rhodocoma capensis
Family: Restionaceae

A very elegant reed-like plant with slightly arching branches which have whorls of finely divided, feathery looking foliage. This species can be grown...

04 / 10 / 2004 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Lessertia

Lessertia - pressed herbarium specimen
Family: Fabaceae

This group of plants, which now includes Sutherlandia (the cancer bush group), is reported to be useful medicinally and also good for pasture....

04 / 10 / 2004 | Tandiwe Nkonki | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Strelitzia juncea

Strelitzia juncea
Common names: rush-leaf crane flower, rush-leaf strelitzia (Eng.); rietkraanvoëlblom, riet-strelitzia (Afr.)
Family: Strelitziaceae

This is a striking feature plant with upright cylindrical leaves without a leaf blade, growing from 1 to 2 m in height and producing large orange or yellow...

27 / 09 / 2004 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Tulbaghia violacea

Bank of Tulbaghia violacea in flower
Common names: wild garlic, society garlic (Eng.); wildeknoffel, wildeknoflok (Afr.); utswelane (Xho.); isihaqa, incinsini, (Zul.)
Family: Alliaceae

This is a popular garden plant that is useful for difficult hot corners of the garden as it will tolerate prolonged drought, although it flourishes with...

27 / 09 / 2004 | Shireen Harris | Free State NBG
Read More

Campanulaceae

Roella ciliata
Common names: bell flower, bluebell family (Eng.); klokkiesfamilie (Afr.)
Family: Campanulaceae

This is a cosmopolitan family with showy flowers, mainly from the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere South Africa is particularly rich...

27 / 09 / 2004 | C Cupido | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Melianthus comosus

Melianthus comosus
Common names: crown honeyflower (Eng); kruidjie-roer-my -nie (Afr.)
Family: Melianthaceae

Melianthus comosus is an ideal plant for a low-maintenance, waterwise garden, but it does need to be pruned to keep it neat and to encourage new growth....

20 / 09 / 2004 | Shireen Harris | Free State NBG
Read More

Crinum

Crinum bulbispermum
Common names: river lily, veld lily (Eng.); rivierlelie, veldlelie (Afr.); umNduze (Zulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Crinum is a fascinating genus of the large and equally captivating Amaryllidaceae family. Larger in stature than most other species of Amaryllidaceae,...

20 / 09 / 2004 | Robert Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Aloe africana

Aloe africana
Common names: Uitenhage Aloe, African Aloe (Eng.), Uitenhaagsaalwyn (Afr.), Ikhala (Xhosa)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe africana is a very attractive aloe which adapts to a wide range of conditions. Aloes are characteristic of the African continent where most species...

20 / 09 / 2004 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Syzygium cordatum

Syzygium cordatum
Common names: water berry (Eng.); waterbessie, waterbessieboom, waterboom, waterhout (Afr.); umdoni (Zulu); umswi, umjomi (Xhosa), mawthoo (Southern Sotho), motlho
Family: Myrtaceae

...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG
Read More

Cyrtanthus falcatus

Flower of Cyrtanthus falcatus
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful cyrtanthus with its curious 'shepherd's crook' flower stem and long arching leaves is very easily cultivated and deserves to...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Bryomorphe aretioides

Flowering
Common names: None
Family: Asteraceae

Many hikers have probably seen this strange looking plant growing on the rocks in the Cape Mountains and wondered what it is. It looks very much like a...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Freylinia undulata

Freylinia undulata
Common names: Overberg bell-bush, mauve honey-bell (Eng.); Overbergse klokkiesbos (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

Freylinia undulata is an attractive shrub with mauve flowers, ideal for dry gardens in the winter-rainfall area....

06 / 09 / 2004 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Phaenocoma prolifera

Phaenocoma prolifera
Common names: pink everlasting, pink strawflower, Cape everlasting (Eng.); rooisewejaartjie, strooiblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

I often think of this species as the dinosaur of the everlastings. It is a strong rigid shrub with brilliant pink bracts and large flower heads. It is...

06 / 09 / 2004 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Helichrysum petiolare

Helichrysum petiolare
Common names: silver bush everlasting, herbal helichrysum, bedding helichrysum (Eng.), kooigoed, kruie (Afr.), imphepho (Xho.)
Family: Asteraceae

Helichrysum petiolare is one of the best known and the most commonly used helichrysums, easy to grow, with beautiful velvety silver foliage....

06 / 09 / 2004 | Roger Oliver | Harold Porter NBG
Read More

Oxalis

Oxalis zeekoevleyensis
Common names: sorrel (Eng.); suring (Afr.)
Family: Oxalidaceae

Members of the genus Oxalis — with their brightly coloured delicate flowers, clover-like leaves and corolla lobes twisted in the bud — are...

30 / 08 / 2004 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Millettia grandis

Millettia grandis
Common names: umzimbeet (Eng.); umsambeet (Afr.); umSimbithwa (Zulu) umKunye (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

This is an attractive shade tree which can also be grown as a specimen tree to display its grey bark, coppery red young leaves and flower buds, lilac to...

30 / 08 / 2004 | J K Baloyi | Pretoria NBG
Read More