Plants of the Week

Erica ventricosa

Common names: wax heath, washeide, porcelain heath, Franschhoek heath, Franschhoekheide

Family: Ericaceae

Erica ventricosa, with its exquisite flowers and dense, compact habit, is one of the most attractive of the Erica species. ...

19 / 11 / 2001 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG

Elegia fistulosa

Common names: Hollow Reed, Pypriet

Family: Restionaceae

Elegia fistulosa is a tall, grass-like plant, decorative nearly all year round, low-maintenance, easy and rewarding to grow....

12 / 11 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Syncolostemon transvaalensis

Common names: Mpumalanga sagebush (Eng.), Mpumalangasalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

Syncolostemon transvaalensis is decorative, pleasantly aromatic and easy to grow....

05 / 11 / 2001 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Zantedeschia aethiopica

Common names: White or common arum lily (English); wit varkoor (Afrikaans); intebe (Xhosa) ihlukwe (Zulu)

Zantedeschia aethiopica is an old fashioned, but very rewarding garden plant....

05 / 11 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Watsonia marginata

Common names: broad-leaf watsonia (Eng.), breëblaar-kanolpypie, rooikanolpypie, kanolpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia marginata is a very pretty plant, with attractive foliage and gorgeous spikes of cup-shaped pink or white flowers. It is easily distinguished...

29 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Maerua cafra

Common names: Common bush-cherry, White-wood, Witbos

Family: Capparaceae

This is an unusual, very attractive little tree, especially when covered in fragrant white flowers in early spring. You may need to be patient...

29 / 10 / 2001 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Merwilla plumbea

Common names: wild squill, blue squill, blue hyacinth, blouberglelie, blouslangkop, inguduza

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Merwilla plumbea is a graceful perennial bulb, and with its tall plumes of blue flowers, the showiest of the South African scillas. Merwilla plumbea is...

22 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Senegalia caffra

Common names: common hook-thorn, cat thorn(English); gewone haakdoring, katdoring (Afrikaans); umTholo (Zulu); Motholo (N. Sotho); Morutlhare (Tswana); Mbvhinya-xih

Family: Fabaceae

This beautiful tree is the most common naturally occurring senegalia in the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden. It may reach up to 14m and has an...

22 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Ursinia cakilefolia

Common names: Glansoogbergmagriet, Glossy-eyed parachute daisy

Family: Asteraceae

Bright and cheerful, the annual ursinias are some of the easiest plants to grow for spring colour. ...

15 / 10 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Crinum bulbispermum

Common names: Orange River lily, Vaal River lily (Eng.); Oranjerivierlelie (Afr.); umnduze (Zulu).

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Crinum bulbispermum is a highly attractive garden subject and can be grown all over South Africa provided it is given adequate water during its growing...

15 / 10 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Scadoxus puniceus

Common names: Paintbrush lily, Snake lily (E), Rooikwas (Afr), isisphompho, umgola (Z)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

The spectacular paintbrush lily is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants. This species is quite variable and a number of different forms...

08 / 10 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

Pelargonium betulinum

Common names: camphor-scented pelargonium, birch-leaved pelargonium (Eng.); kanferblaar, maagpynbossie, suurbos (Afr.)

Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium betulinum is dazzling in full flower, deserving of a place in any garden....

08 / 10 / 2001 | Ebrahim Lawrence | Kirstenbosch NBG

Mackaya bella

Common names: mackaya, forest bell-bush, river bells, beautiful mackaya (Eng.); bosklokkiesbos, blouklokkiesbos (Afr.); umavuthwa, uzwathi, uphulule, icaphozi (Zul.

Family: Acanthaceae

A graceful shrub or small tree with slender branches bearing glossy, dark green leaves and beautiful sprays of showy, white to mauve, bell-shaped flowers...

01 / 10 / 2001 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Leucadendron laxum

Common names: Bredasdorp conebush (Eng.); vleirosie (Afr.).

Family: Proteaceae

...

01 / 10 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Tapinanthus rubromarginatus

Common names: red mistletoe, bird lime, lighted candles; voelent, vuurhoutijies (A)

Family: Loranthaceae

This is a semi-parasitic aerial shrub with specialized roots called haustoria that grow into the wood of the host plant and extracts oil minerals...

24 / 09 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Lachenalia mathewsii

Common names: none on record

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Lachenalia mathewsii is an attractive, deciduous, winter-growing bulb, standing 10-20 cm tall....

24 / 09 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Pelargonium suburbanum subsp. suburbanum

Common names: dune pelargonium (Eng.) wildemalva

Family: Geraniaceae

A groundcover with showy magenta flowers in spring and early summer, ideal for sandy banks, rockeries and hanging baskets. Many species and hybrids of Pelargonium are...

17 / 09 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Dombeya rotundifolia

Common names: wild pear (English); drolpeer (Afrikaans); iNhliziyonkhulu (Zulu); mohlabaphala (N. Sotho); motubane (Tswana); nsihaphukuma (Tsonga)

Family: Malvaceae

This lovely tree gets its English common name, wild pear, from the masses of white blooms which appear before the leaves in early spring. It bears a resemblance...

17 / 09 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Freylinia tropica

Common names: Waterberg bell-bush, blue honey-bell, blue freylinia (Eng.), inyanga hedge plant (Shona)

Family: Scrophulariaceae

This shrub makes a good garden subject for summer rainfall areas....

10 / 09 / 2001 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Felicia elongata

Common names: Saldanha felicia, tricolour felicia (Eng.), driekleurblommetjie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Felicia elongata is a striking perennial daisy, with large white or mauve flowers. What makes this Felicia so different from the other felicias, is the...

10 / 09 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

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