Plants of the Week

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E.g., 15/10/2024
E.g., 15/10/2024

Chlorophytum capense

Chlorophytum capense
Common names: Cape spider plant, bracket plant
Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum capense is a popular ornamental plant that does well in shade to full sun and is semi-hardy to frost and requires moderate water. It has fleshy...

01 / 07 / 2024 | Sefularo Ramaboea | National Zoological Gardens
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Lycium horridum

Lycium horridum in fruit
Common names: buck honeythorn (Eng.); bokdoring, kriedoring, kraaldoring, slangbessiebos, wolwedoring (Afr.)
Family: Solanaceae

Lycium horridum, also known as the buck honeythorn, is a thorny shrub with oblong leaves and distinctive orange to red berries. The plant is known to be...

24 / 06 / 2024 | Sedzani Madongo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Radinosiphon leptostachya

Radinosiphon leptostachya
Common names: slender-spiked radinosiphon (Eng.); blou angelier (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Radinosiphon leptostachya is a cormous deciduous perennial plant with slender stems and pink flowers in summer, that thrives in rocky environments amongst...

24 / 06 / 2024 | Ziphezinhle Madonsela | Lowveld NBG
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Kniphofia thodei

Kniphofia thodei
Common names: Thode’s poker (Eng.); leloele (Sesotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Kniphofia thodei is a monocotyledonous perennial herb with distinctive bicoloured red and white flowers. Plants are usually solitary, unlike many other...

17 / 06 / 2024 | Rofhiwa Ingrid Mudau | Pretoria NBG
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Pelargonium xerophyton

Pelargonium xerophyton
Common names: xerophyte pelargonium, desert geranium (Eng.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium xerophyton is a hardy succulent with thick stems, twiggy branches, beautiful white flowers and aromatic foliage. Its distinctive growth habit...

17 / 06 / 2024 | Sphephelo Kheswa | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Tulbaghia natalensis

Tulbaghia natalensis
Common names: sweet wild garlic, pink wild garlic (Eng.); soetwildeknoffel (Afr.); iswele lezinyoka (isiZulu)
Family: Alliaceae

One of South Africa’s endemic species, this attractive wild garlic is definitely a go to when looking for low maintenance plants....

10 / 06 / 2024 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Pelargonium multiradiatum

Pelargonium multiradiatum
Common names: none
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium multiradiatum is a hardy, floriferous, spring-summer flowering geophytic species from South Africa’s winter-rainfall area. ...

09 / 06 / 2024 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe globuligemma

Aloe globuligemma
Common names: knob aloe, button aloe (Eng.), knoppiesaalwyn (Afr.), lekopane (Sepedi (seKone dialect))
Family: Asphodelaceae

...

03 / 06 / 2024 | Nondumiso Qwabe | National Zoological Gardens
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Carpobrotus mellei

Carpobrotus mellei in flower
Common names: mountain sourfig (Eng.), bergsuurvy (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

The mountain sourfig is a mat-forming leaf succulent from the mountains in the Western Cape. The leaves are ascending and slightly glaucous, the flowers...

03 / 06 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus diabolicus

Adromischus diabolicus
Common names: Gariep adromischus (Eng.), Gariepnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus diabolicus is a rare, cliff-hugging succulent from the Northern Cape. The plants are dwarf, rosulate, leaf and stem succulents forming small...

27 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe hahnii

Aloe hahnii in flower in habitat
Common names: Soutpansberg aloe, Soutpansberg soap aloe (Eng.); Soutpansberg-bontaalwyn (Afr.); tshikhopha-tshituku (Ven.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe hahnii is a small, slow-growing, single-stemmed aloe, with a short stem, succulent leaves and red, white and green flowers. It occurs in the mistbelt...

27 / 05 / 2024 | Thembuluwo Maduwa | Thohoyandou NBG
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Pachypodium saundersii

Pachypodium saundersii
Common names: kudu lily, rathbonia (Eng.); koedoelelie (Afr.); isihlehle, insema-yamatshe (isiZulu); sikhubakhuba, ligubaguba (siSwati).
Family: Apocynaceae

A low succulent shrub with a large tuberous stem up to 1 m in diameter, mostly above ground and often irregularly shaped, few spiny branches and showy...

20 / 05 / 2024 | Khanyisile Nkosi | Pretoria NBG
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Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis

Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis
Common names: Brandberg adromischus (Eng.), Brandbergnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus schuldtianus subsp. brandbergensis is a rare, cliff-hugging succulent from the Brandberg in central northern Namibia, it represents the northernmost...

20 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Grewia rogersii

Grewia rogersii
Common names: Waterberg raisin (Eng.); Waterberg-rosyntjie (Afr.); mulembu (Tshivenda)
Family: Malvaceae

The Waterberg raisin is a bushy shrub with attractive dark green and whitish bicoloured foliage, star shaped yellow flowers in summer and 4-lobed berry-like...

13 / 05 / 2024 | Sithembile Ndlovu | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Adromischus subdistichus

Adromischus subdistichus
Common names: book-stonecrop (Eng.), boekieplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The book-stonecrop is a dwarf, mat-forming to pendent, leaf succulent from the mountainous regions near Willowmore in Eastern Cape. The rounded flattened...

13 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Zanthoxylum davyi

Zanthoxylum davyi
Common names: forest knobwood, forest knobthorn (Eng.); bosperdepram, knopdoringhout (Afr.); umnugumabele, umnungwane, umnungwane omkhulu (isiZulu); tshamavhudzi, m
Family: Rutaceae

The forest knobwood tree, scientifically known as Zanthoxylum davyi, is a remarkable presence in southern African forests, with its its impressive height,...

06 / 05 / 2024 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG
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Adromischus leucophyllus

Adromischus leucophyllus
Common names: flour-stonecrop, white-leaf adromischus (Eng.); witblaarplakkie, meel-boekplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The flour-stonecrop is a dwarf, cluster-forming to pendent leaf succulent from the mountainous regions between Barrydale, Montagu, Robertson and De Doorns...

06 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Euphorbia schinzii

Euphorbia schinzii
Common names: rock-milkbush, northern noors, Schinz’s spurge (Eng.); klipmelkbossie (Afr.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia schinzii is a small spiny plant with succulent stems, that enable it to store water, giving it resilience and allowing it to thrive in its harsh,...

29 / 04 / 2024 | Rofhiwa Ratshibvumo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Carpobrotus muirii

Carpobrotus muirii
Common names: Albertinia sour fig, dwarf sour fig (Eng.), Albertinia-suurvy, kleinsuurvy (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

The Albertinia sour fig is a mat-forming leaf succulent from sandy regions near Albertinia in the Western Cape. It is the smallest of the species of Carpobrotus...

29 / 04 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Clutia pulchella

Clutia pulchella var. pulchella growing in the Free State National Botanical Garden
Common names: common lightning bush, lightning bush, warty-fruited lightning bush (Eng); gewone bliksembos, oumeisieknie, weerligbos, vratjievrug-bliksembos (Afr);
Family: Peraceae

Clutia pulchella is easily distinguishable by its striking 'ladder-like', alternating arrangement of leaves, often with red leaves among the green....

22 / 04 / 2024 | Lungelo L. Sikhakhane | Free State NBG
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