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., 10/11/2024
E.g., 10/11/2024

Anthospermum spathulatum subsp. spathulatum

Anthospermum spathulatum
Common names: spoon flowerseed, spathulate anthospermum, jackal's tail (Eng.), jakkalsstert, skaapbos (Afr.)
Family: Rubiaceae

A dense, woody shrublet with small, needle-like leaves densely covering the stems to form an interesting arrangement of foliaged branches....

08 / 01 / 2024 | Thabang Makola | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More

Ledebouria loedolffiae

Ledebouria loedolffiae in habitat
Common names: spotted cliff African hyacinth, spotted cliff squill (Eng.), kransbontblaar (Afr.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Ledebouria loedolffiae is a cluster-forming, evergreen, bulbous plant with mottled leaves in a rosette and small purplish flowers carried on an ascending...

01 / 01 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Hermannia johanssenii

Hermannia johanssenii flowers
Common names: Johanssen’s hermannia (Eng.); heuningbos (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

A small woody shrub with alternate, lanceolate leaves that are covered with soft hairs and masses of small yellow flowers with five petals and a hairy...

01 / 01 / 2024 | Nonkululeko Ntshangase | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Scabiosa genus

Scabiosa genus
Common names: scabious, scabiosa, pincushion
Family: Dipsacaceae

...

25 / 12 / 2023 | Mulweli Maswoliedza | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Erica fontana

Erica fontana, fresh flowers at the stem tip
Common names: fountain heath (Eng.); fonteinheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica fontana produces white to light rosy pink tubular flowers, that become paler towards the base, and the flowers appear all year round. It is a rare...

25 / 12 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Nerine gracilis

Nerine gracilis
Common names: delicate nerine
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Nerine gracilis is a dwarf, indigenous South African bulb, that can only be found in a few localities in rocky and damp Highveld Grassland. It has thread-like...

18 / 12 / 2023 | Ntsako Colins Chauke | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Amphithalea tomentosa

Amphithalea tomentosa, inflorescence
Common names: hairy amphithalea
Family: Fabaceae

Ampithalea tomentosa is a striking plant found in Lowland Fynbos, with eye-catching, silvery foliage and yellow blossoms almost hidden by the hairy calyx,...

18 / 12 / 2023 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
Read More

Zaluzianskya villosa

Zaluzianskya villosa
Common names: downy drumsticks (Eng.); verfblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

These small, dainty, white to mauve flowered annuals can be seen in spring and early summer in the Western Cape of South Africa. Unlike Zaluzianskya capensis,...

11 / 12 / 2023 | Karen Wall | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Aristea spiralis

A clump of Aristea spiralis
Common names: star-eyed aristea, pale capeblue (Eng.)
Family: Iridaceae

Clumps of Aristea spiralis make a striking display, the large white to pale blue flowers with purple centres are very attractive and last throughout the...

11 / 12 / 2023 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Encephalartos dolomiticus

Encephalartos dolomiticus
Common names: Wolkberg cycad (Eng.); Wolkberg-broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

The Wolkberg cycad is an extraordinarily beautiful species characterized by its striking blue colour. Adding to its attraction is the tendency to bear...

04 / 12 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Disperis woodii

Disperis woodii in flower
Common names: horned kappie, Wood’s disperis (Eng.); horingmoederkappie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Disperis woodii is a tiny terrestrial orchid, with a cluster of leaves at the base and just one stem that produces a single flower with a long pointed...

04 / 12 / 2023 | Monde Zulu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
Read More

Portulacaria fruticulosa

Portulacaria fruticulosa in flower
Common names: rose porkbush (Eng.), suikerkanna, roos-wolftoon (Afr.)
Family: Didiereaceae

Portulacaria fruticulosa is an ascending, much-branched shrub about 700 mm tall, with slender reddish-brown branches less than 1 mm in diameter at the...

27 / 11 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Sparaxis auriculata

Sparaxis auriculata
Common names: Matsikamma sparaxis, ear satinflower (Eng.), fluweelblom, fluweeltjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A flowering bulbous plant with large, bright mauve and yellow, two-lipped flowers with six petals. It is a local endemic from the Matsikamma Mountains...

27 / 11 / 2023 | Sisipho Mqungguthu | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More

Gasteria retusa

Gasteria retusa
Common names: Hex River ox-tongue (Eng.), Heksrivier beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria retusa is a cluster-forming leaf succulent of about 240 mm in diameter. The leaves are beautifully ornamented, wrinkled, with transverse bands...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Annona senegalensis

Ripe fruit of Annona senegalensis
Common names: wild custard apple, African custard apple (Eng.), wildesuikerappel (Afr.), umphofu (Zul.), umtelembu (Swa.), muyembe (Tso.), muembe (Ven.)
Family: Annonaceae

Annona senegalensis is a multi-stemmed, deciduous African fruit tree that is found in semi-arid to subhumid areas. It has a long history of traditional...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Accurate Sondlhana | Lowveld NBG
Read More

Osteospermum scariosum

Osteospermum scariosum
Common names: sheep bush, sheep boneseed (Eng.); skaapbos, bietou, sagtebietou (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Osteospermum scariosum is a beautiful yellow daisy, the flowerheads often having a striking dark ring around the centre....

13 / 11 / 2023 | Khanya Ntondini | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Grona setigera

Grona setigera
Common names: bristly tick-clover (Eng.); pomo, pomσ (Mende, Sierra Leone)
Family: Fabaceae

Grona setigera, commonly known as bristly tick-clover, is a beautiful legume that grows close to the ground, with remarkable, beautiful, colourful flowers...

13 / 11 / 2023 | Mbali Mkhize | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Desmodium repandum

Common names: orange tick-clover
Family: Fabaceae

See Hylodesmum repandum...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Tripteris aghillana

Common names: sheep bush, sheep boneseed (Eng.); skaapbos, bietou, sagtebietou (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

See Osteospermum scariosum...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Desmodium setigerum

Common names: bristly tick-clover
Family: Fabaceae

See Grona setigera...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More