Plants of the Week

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E.g., 10/12/2024
E.g., 10/12/2024

Chrysocoma ciliata

Chrysocoma ciliata
Common names: bitter bush, bitter cowcud (Eng.); bitterbos (Afr.); sehalahala (Sesotho)
Family: Asteraceae

A dense, slender-stemmed shrublet that boasts with its alluring, bright yellow, globular flowerheads....

24 / 12 / 2018 | Thembakazi Dyariwe | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Limonium capense

Limonium capense
Common names: Saldanha sea-pink (Eng.); saldanha strandroos (Afr.)
Family: Plumbaginaceae

A poorly known, drought-tolerant shrublet for coastal gardens, producing masses of pink papery flowers in early summer....

17 / 12 / 2018 | John Manning | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Croton megalobotrys

Croton megalobotrys (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: feverberry, large feverberry (Eng.); koorsbessie, grootkoorsbessie (Afr.); motsibi (Northern Sotho), muruthu (Tshivenda)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

This tree will add colour to your garden in autumn as the leaves produces shades of yellow, orange and brown; flowering time is throughout spring and as...

17 / 12 / 2018 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crotalaria magaliesbergensis

Crotalaria magaliesbergensis
Common names: Magaliesberg rattlepod (Eng.); magaliesberg jaagsiektebossie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Crotalaria magaliesbergensis is small shrub that sprouts annually from a woody rootstock, to produce many, fragrant, yellow flowers. It will be a great...

10 / 12 / 2018 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Paranomus bracteolaris

Paranomus bracteolaris
Common names: Bokkeveld sceptre, smooth-leaved tree-sceptre (Eng.); bokkeveld-septerboom, afveebos, balbyterbos, haakbos, heuningbos, kloofbesem, perdebos, sousbos,
Family: Proteaceae

One of the common sceptres, it produces a single leaf form, a dissected leaf, over the entire plant, and purple to pink flowers with a faint sweet scent...

10 / 12 / 2018 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crinum lineare

Crinum lineare (Adriaan Grobler)
Common names: Port Elizabeth crinum
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Crinum lineare is a beautiful lily, capable of producing its outstanding flowers abundantly and will give any home or garden an attractive and stylish...

03 / 12 / 2018 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Ficus ilicina

Ficus ilicina
Common names: laurel fig, natarra fig (Eng.); louriervy, natarravy (Afr.); natarra (Nama)
Family: Moraceae

The laurel fig is an evergreen, rock-hugging fig from the summer-dry Namaqualand region and further north into Namibia and southern Angola, where rainfall...

03 / 12 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Babiana fragrans

Babiana fragrans (Graham Duncan)
Common names: fragrant blue babiana (Eng.); bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

...

26 / 11 / 2018 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG
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Ledebouria galpinii

Ledebouria galpinii
Common names: Kaapsche-Hoop African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A very attractive, dwarf, bulbous Ledebouria species, with dark purplish green, glossy leaves, which are pitted on the upper surface. This species is popular...

26 / 11 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Alsophila dregei

Alsophila dregei
Common names: grassland tree fern, common tree fern, (Eng.); grasveldboomvaring, gewone boomvaring, (Afr.); isihihi (Xho.); isikhomakhoma, umphanga (Zul.)
Family: Cyatheaceae

A handsome form plant, with a head of dark green fronds atop a stout trunk, for full sun or light shade. This plant is also known as Cyathea dregei....

19 / 11 / 2018 | Nonhlanhla Masinga | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Pelargonium incarnatum

Pelargonium incarnatum
Common names: ring stork’s-bill (Eng.); horlosie, vrouebossie (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

This unusual pelargonium definitely has the all the hallmarks of becoming an ornamental hit in fynbos and succulent gardens. It doesn’t need plenty...

19 / 11 / 2018 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ficus cordata

Ficus cordata
Common names: Namaqua rock fig, Namaqua fig (Eng.); namakwarotsvy, namakwavy, melkboom (Afr.)
Family: Moraceae

The Namaqua rock fig represents the largest and tallest indigenous tree from Namaqualand. It is an ascending, rock-splitting tree confined to rock outcrops,...

12 / 11 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Waltheria indica

Waltheria indica
Common names: meidebossie (Afrikaans); isikolanjiba (IsiNdebele); mokhutesela (Sepedi); lexutasela (Sesotho); seretwane (Setswana.); delelemukula (Tshivenda)
Family: Malvaceae

Waltheria indica with its soft little yellow flowers and zig-zag-edged leaves, can be pruned into an attractive, bushy and hardy pot plant....

12 / 11 / 2018 | Siyabonga Tibini | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Euphorbia tuberosa

Euphorbia tuberosa
Common names: milk-ball, wild charlock (Eng.); melkbol, wilderamenas (Afr.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

A hardy, drought tolerant plant that is dormant in summer when conditions are harsh, by losing its wavy, grey-green leaves and leaving its succulent stem...

05 / 11 / 2018 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Tephrosia pondoensis

Tephrosia pondoensis (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Pondo poison-pea (Eng.); pondogifertjie, basterkurkbos (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

...

05 / 11 / 2018 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Eucomis comosa

Eucomis comosa var. comosa flowers. (Neil Crouch)
Common names: slender pineapple flower (Eng.); krulkoppie, pynappellelie (Afr.); ubuhlungu-becanti (Zul. and Xho.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is one of the sweet-scented species in the genus Eucomis, which is one of the reasons why it is such a popular garden plant. Like other pineapple...

29 / 10 / 2018 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Scadoxus membranaceus

Scadoxus membranaceus
Common names: dwarf paintbrush, (Eng.); seeroogblom (Afr.); idumbi (Zul.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful, compact growing, evergreen Scadoxus has spirally arranged leaves and striking red flowerheads that resemble a paint brush, surrounded by...

29 / 10 / 2018 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria apertiflora

Ledebouria apertiflora
Common names: desert African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A medium-sized bulbous plant normally associated with arid areas. This species is widely distributed over a vast area of South Africa, most common in the...

22 / 10 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Erica rhopalantha var. rhopalantha

Erica rhopalantha (Loretta Floors)
Common names: club-shaped erica (Eng.); maroenheide, pienkheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

...

15 / 10 / 2018 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Ursinia paleacea

Ursinia paleacea in habitat, visited by a monkey beetle.
Common names: long-stalk parachute daisy (Eng.); geelmagriet (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This cheerful and resilient perennial is a must for any fynbos garden!...

15 / 10 / 2018 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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