Plants of the Week

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E.g., 13/12/2024
E.g., 13/12/2024

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
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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
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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
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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
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Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba

Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba
Common names: white freesia, wild freesia (Eng.); ruikpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

With its showy white spring flowers, exquisite perfume and relative ease in cultivation, Freesia leichtlinii subsp. alba is one of the most rewarding Cape...

30 / 08 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch 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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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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Ballota africana

Ballota africana
Common names: cat herb, Cape horehound (Eng.); kattekruie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

A popular herb in the Cape, Ballota africana is easy to identify by its soft-grey, aromatic foliage and old brown calyces that remain long after the flowers...

23 / 08 / 2004 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Nuxia floribunda

Flowerhead of Nuxia floribunda
Common names: forest elder; forest nuxia; wild elder (Eng.); bosvlier; vlier (Afr.); umHlambandlazi, iThambo, ingobese, isanywana, umKhobeza (Zulu); iNgqota, isiKha
Family: Stilbaceae

The forest elder is an attractive, moisture-loving, floriferous tree and it makes a conspicuous feature in the forest patches it commonly inhabits....

16 / 08 / 2004 | Jan-Hakon Burring | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Jordaaniella anemoniflora and J.dubia

Jordaaniella anemoniflora
Common names: helder kruipvygie, matvygie (Afr.) Jordaaniella anemoniflora (L.Bolus) Van Jaarsv. [ = Cephalophyllum anemoniflorum (L.Bolus) N.E.Br. (Van Jaarsveld 2
Family: Mesembryanthemaceae

These two very attractive mesembs, one of which is widespread and the other extinct in its natural habitat, can be grown in sunny coastal gardens as they...

16 / 08 / 2004 | Pascale Chesselet | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ammocharis longifolia

Ammocharis longifolia
Common names: Malgas lily (Eng.); seeroogblom (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The name Malgas lily is taken from the abundance of this bulb in the Malgas area near the Breede River in the Cape. It is one of South Africa's showiest...

16 / 08 / 2004 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Warburgia salutaris

Warburgia salutaris
Common names: pepper-bark tree (Eng.); peperbasboom (Afr.); isibhaha (Zulu); manaka (Venda); shibaha (Tsonga)
Family: Canellaceae

This tree is a priority species for conservation and cultivation in gardens, as it is over-harvested in the wild for medicinal use and is a very popular...

09 / 08 / 2004 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cannabis sativa

Young Cannabis plant
Common names: marijuana (Eng.); dagga (Afr.); Umya (Xhosa); Matekwane/Patse (Northern Sotho); Nsangu (Zulu)
Family: Cannabaceae

Current legislation prohibits the cultivation, possession and trade in cannabis in South Africa. This page is being posted for information purposes only...

09 / 08 / 2004 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Brunsvigia josephinae

Brunsvigia josephinae
Common names: candelabra lily (Eng.); kandelaarblom, lantanter (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant has by far the biggest bulb and inflorescence among the geophytes in South Africa. Its large striking umbels are easily visible in the veld...

09 / 08 / 2004 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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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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Pelargonium crithmifolium

Pelargonium crithmifolium
Common names: samphire-leaved pelargonium (Eng.); jakopregopbossie, dikstam-malva, gnom, kana (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

This plant is the granddaddy of all pelargoniums, as it is one of the bulkiest plants in the Pelargonium group. In cultivation at the Karoo Desert...

02 / 08 / 2004 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gnidia squarrosa

Gnidia squarrosa
Common names: saffron bush (Eng.); aandbossie, juffertjie-roer-by-die nag (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

Gnidia squarrosa has attractive, multicoloured winter-spring flowers that will fill your garden with perfume in the evenings....

02 / 08 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium echinatum

Pelargonium echinatum
Common names: prickly-stemmed pelargonium
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium echinatum is one of the most beautiful winter flowering pelargoniums. It is a stocky, compact, succulent perennial shrublet with spines...

26 / 07 / 2004 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Colpias mollis

Colpias mollis
Common names: klipblom (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

...

26 / 07 / 2004 | Hester Steyn | Pretoria NBG
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Cannomois virgata

Male inflorescence
Common names: bell reed, rekoala (Eng.); bergbamboes, besemriet,olifantsriet, perdehoef, assegaai (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Cannomois virgata is a fast-growing reed-like plant and is the only member of the genus to be found on the Cape Peninsula....

26 / 07 / 2004 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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