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., 04/11/2024
E.g., 04/11/2024

Delosperma waterbergense

Delosperma waterbergense in flower at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Waterberg delosperma (Eng.), waterbergvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Delosperma waterbergense is only known from cliffs along the upper Waterberg near Thabazimbi in the Limpopo Province. A fast grower, it has soft flaccid...

27 / 02 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Melianthus elongatus

Melianthus elongatus in flower in Kirstenbosch
Common names: strandveld honeyflower, dwarf honeyflower, small melianthus, turkey bush (Eng.); kruidjie-roer-my-nie, truitjie (Afr.)
Family: Melianthaceae

...

20 / 02 / 2023 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Pachypodium bispinosum

Pachypodium bispinosum flowers. Photo Jenny Potgieter
Common names: bell-flower thick-foot (English), bobbejaankos, kafferkambroo, kragman, sterkman, dikvoet (Afrikaans)
Family: Apocynaceae

A spiny succulent plant that shows off with bell-shaped, purple to pink, sometimes white flowers in spring and early summer....

20 / 02 / 2023 | Sisipho Mqungguthu | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More

Adenia gummifera

Adenia gummifera var. gummifera leaves and fruits. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: snake-climber, monkey rope, gummy adenia (Eng.); impinda, impindamshaye, umphindamshaya, imfulwa (isiZulu); slangklimop (Afr.)
Family: Passifloraceae

A large, attractive, woody geophyte which often climbs into other plants, holding on by means of tendrils. Stems are bright green, with kidney-shaped and...

13 / 02 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Mentha aquatica

Mentha aquatica by Olexandr Ghryb
Common names: water mint, wild mint, wild thyme, marsh mint, aromatic thyme (Eng); waterment, kruisement, kruistement (Afr), amabunu, imbozisa, umaliwane, umayime,
Family: Lamiaceae

A splendorous plant with purple flowers clustered in balls on the internodes of the stems, to entice anyone passing by the marshy field. Not only are you...

13 / 02 / 2023 | Swinky Nkosi | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Delosperma zeederbergii

Delosperma zeederbergii in flower in its habitat
Common names: Spekboom River mesemb (Eng.); spekboomriviervygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Delosperma zeederbergii is only known from cliffs along the upper Spekboom River near Lydenburg (Mashishing) in Mpumalanga. A fast grower, it has soft...

06 / 02 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Lydenburgia cassinoides

Lydenburgia cassinoides in its natural habitat. Photo Christien Steyn
Common names: Sekhukhuni bushman's tea (Eng.); sekhukhuni-boesmanstee (Afr.); mohlolodi (Northern Sotho)
Family: Celastraceae

Sekhukhuni Bushman’s Tea is a medium sized tree, occurring in bushveld in Sekhukhuneland and Lydenburg, which showcases its distinctive cream to...

06 / 02 / 2023 | Ntsakisi Masia | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
Read More

Adromischus phillipsiae

Adromischus phillipsiae on a sheer south facing cliff
Common names: bell-nenta (Eng.), klokkiesrosie, klokkiesnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The bell-nenta is a succulent plant growing along the western mountainous escarpment margin between Sutherland and Steinkopf in the Western and Northern...

30 / 01 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Anginon difforme

Anginon difforme
Common names: common needle-leaf, common finkel (Eng.); wildevinkel, wildeseldery (Afr.)
Family: Apiaceae

Anginon difforme is an endemic of southern Africa with reduced, needle-like leaves that resemble pine needles, so much so that it sometimes is confused...

30 / 01 / 2023 | Nokukhanya Nozipho Mhlongo | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Haworthia marumiana var. reddii

Haworthia marumiana var. reddii
Common names: Waterdown Dam haworthia (Eng.), Klipplaat dwergaalwyntjie (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Haworthia marumiana var. reddii is a dwarf, mat-forming cliff-hugger, establishing clusters of numerous small rosettes of light green, succulent leaves...

23 / 01 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Albizia antunesiana

Albizia antunesiana, inflorescence and new foliage. Photo Mervyn Lötter
Common names: purple-leaved false-thorn (Eng.), persblaarvalsdoring (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

An attractive deciduous tree with a flattened, umbrella-shaped crown, large greenish to yellow, half-spherical, fluffy flower heads that make the tree...

23 / 01 / 2023 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Tylecodon ectypus

Tylecodon ectypus in habitat
Common names: Steinkopf tylecodon (Eng.); Steinkopf krimpsiektebossie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

A recently described, rare, dwarf, succulent geophyte from the Richtersveld, Northern Cape. Plants are solitary or in small clusters, with a sparingly...

16 / 01 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Oxytenanthera abyssinica

Oxytenanthera abyssinica growing in the DRC. Photo Duncan McKenzie
Common names: holy Venda bamboo, wild bamboo (Eng.); heilige Venda-bamboes, wilde-bamboes (Afr.); musununu (Ven.)
Family: Poaceae

A large, woody plant that belongs in the grass family, Poaceae, and is endemic to Africa, known as the holy Venda bamboo, wild bamboo or musununu in South...

16 / 01 / 2023 | Lesibana Petrus Maema | Thohoyandou NBG
Read More

Marasmodes dummeri

Marasmodes dummeri
Common names: whip autumn-aster
Family: Asteraceae

The extremely small, adpressed leaves of Marasmodes dummeri and the terminal, clustered flower heads make it distinct from other species of the same genus....

09 / 01 / 2023 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
Read More

Berzelia cordifolia

Berzelia cordifolia flowerheads
Common names: Potberg kolkol, heart-leaf berzelia (Eng.); kolkolbossie (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

A small, upright shrub with clusters of ball-shaped, white flower heads in spring....

09 / 01 / 2023 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Carissa sebrabergensis

Carissa sebrabergensis
Common names: Sebraberg numnum (Eng.); Sebraberg-noemnoem (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

The Sebraberg numnum is a rare shrub from the Sebraberg in northern Kaokoveld, Namibia. It is a diminutive, layered evergreen, spiny shrub, with small...

02 / 01 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Erica empetrina

Flowers of Erica empetrina
Common names: crowberry heath (Eng.); kraaibessieheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica empetrina boasts with a burst of pink to red flowers in spring, from September to December.Fig. 1. Flowers of Erica empetrina....

02 / 01 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Kalanchoe waterbergensis

Kalanchoe waterbergensis
Common names: Waterberg Kalanchoe (Eng.); Waterbergplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

A rare, dwarf leaf-succulent from the Waterberg in the Limpopo Province. The flat, broadly egg-shaped, bluish leaves are crowded at the base before flowering...

26 / 12 / 2022 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Ranunculus multifidus

Ranunculus multifidus. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: wild buttercup, common buttercup, African buttercup (Eng.); botterblom, brandblare, kankerblare, geelbotterblom, rhenoster (Afr.); hlapi (Sesotho); is
Family: Ranunculaceae

Wild Buttercup is a small evergreen herb, with bright green leaves and masses of yellow flowers in summer, that grows well in damp grassland and spreads...

26 / 12 / 2022 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Tetragonia fruticosa

Tetragonia fruticosa in flower. Photo Nanna Joubert
Common names: sprawling sea coral, trailing dune-spinach (Eng.); kinkelbossie, kinkelklappers, kleinsaadklappiesbrak, klimopkinkelbossie, porseleinbos, slaaibos, wa
Family: Aizoaceae

A bushy shrub with a yellow-green appearance and a red tinge, and in bright sunlight it appears to glisten, because the plant is covered in striking, minute...

19 / 12 / 2022 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More