Plants of the Week

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E.g., 07/12/2024
E.g., 07/12/2024

Otholobium fruticans

Otholobium fruticans
Common names: Cape Town pea, roundhead otholobium
Family: Fabaceae

An attractive, mat-forming groundcover or semi-shrub that bears beautiful sprays of pea-like, purple-blue flowers in spring....

21 / 08 / 2017 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Otholobium bracteolatum

Otholobium bracteolatum
Common names: strand dottypea (Eng.); skaapbostee, swawelbos (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

A resilient, beautiful, sprawling shrub, not easily missed because of its pretty mauve and white flowers, which are borne in dense rounded inflorescences...

06 / 05 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Osyris lanceolata

Osyris lanceolata tree
Common names: rock tannin-bush, transvaal sumach (Eng.); bergbas, rotslooibas (Afr.); intshakasa, ingondotha-mpete (Zulu); umbulunyathi (Zulu/Xhosa); intekeza, utek
Family: Santalaceae

The evergreen, winter-flowering Osyris lanceolata is a blue-green hardy shrub or small tree. Its fleshy, yellowish green fruits become bright...

26 / 09 / 2011 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Osyris compressa

Common names: Cape sumach, coastal tannin bush ( Eng.); wildepruim, wurgbessie, basbessie, kuslooibas (Afr.); mtekaaza, umbalanythi (Xhosa); umbulanyathi (Zulu)
Family: Santalaceae

This plant is now called Colpoon compressum ...

29 / 05 / 2006 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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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
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Osteospermum oppositifolium

Osteospermum oppositifolium flower
Common names: stinkskaapbos, skaapbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

The golden, orange or yellow flowers of Osteospermum oppositifolium make a stunning show in spring....

12 / 01 / 2009 | S Nonkululeko | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Osteospermum monstrosum

Osteospermum monstrosum
Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Osteospermum monstrosum is arguably the commonest Namaqualand spring annual. Most people will have noticed these small plants with yellow flowerheads and...

11 / 07 / 2022 | Nicola Bergh | Compton Herbarium
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Osteospermum moniliferum

Osteospermum moniliferum
Common names: bietou, boneseed, tickberry, brother berry, bush-tickberry (Eng.) bietou, boetabessie, bosluisbessie, bokbessie, weskusbietou, skilpadkos (Afr.), inku
Family: Asteraceae

A fast growing shrub with bright yellow daisies in autumn and winter followed by edible berries; a useful pioneer, screening plant and popular with birds...

07 / 05 / 2001 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Osteospermum incanum subsp. incanum

Osteospermum incanum subsp. incanum inflorescence
Common names: grey bietou, grey tick berry (Eng.); grysbietou, fynbietou, vaalsandbietou, vaalbietou, vaalbitou (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A vigorous, sprawling, densely-branched, low-growing grey shrub that is suitably equipped to beautify coastal and interior gardens alike. Its grey leaves,...

03 / 04 / 2023 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Osmunda regalis

Young frond & unfurling crozier. Photo A Klopper
Common names: royal fern (Eng.); adelvaring (Afr.)
Family: Osmundaceae

Osmunda regalis is unusual in that it forms new fertile fronds in autumn, and not in spring or summer as is common in most ferns....

16 / 02 / 2004 | Ronell R. Klopper | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Osmitopsis asteriscoides

Osmitopsis asteriscoides flowers
Common names: swamp daisy, mountain daisy, bellis (Eng.); bels, belskruie, belsbos, belsebos, belsbossie, belsebossie (Afr.).
Family: Asteraceae

This attractive white daisy has been in use for various medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. During spring and early summer many of the wetland areas...

01 / 11 / 2010 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Oscularia piquetbergensis

In flower
Common names: dassievygie, sandsteenygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Oscularia piquetbergensis, just like O. deltoides, is another easy-to-grow succulent groundcover for low-maintenance and water-wise gardens....

18 / 02 / 2008 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium
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Oscularia deltoides

Flowers and fruits of O.deltoides
Common names: dassievygie, sandsteenvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Oscularia deltoides is an easy-to-grow, succulent groundcover, ideal as an accent plant and for low-maintenance and water-wise gardens....

05 / 03 / 2007 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium
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Oscularia caulescens

Oscularia caulescens flowers
Common names: dassievygie, sandsteenvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Oscularia caulescens is an easy-to-grow succulent groundcover, ideal as an accent plant in especially rockeries or pots and for low-maintenance and water-wise...

21 / 12 / 2009 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium
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Orthosiphon labiatus

See Ocimum labiatum....

17 / 12 / 2001 | | Compton Herbarium
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Orthochilus ensatus

Orthochilus ensatus
Common names: imphamba lentaba (isiZulu
Family: Orchidaceae

This is an attractive orchid that can be grown as a container subject and was previously known as Eulophia ensata....

14 / 04 / 2014 | T Lukoto | Free State NBG
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Orthanthera jasminiflora

Orthanthera jasminiflora
Common names: jasmine creeper, star jasmine (Eng.); sandmelktou, sandmelk, moerwortel, moerworteltjie (Afr.); rapologwane (Setswana); kamongamba (Hmbukushu); mosamo
Family: Apocynaceae

The relatively unknown small genus, Orthanthera consists of six species: five in Africa and one from India, Pakistan and Nepal. It is unknown whether plants...

23 / 11 / 2020 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Orphium frutescens

Orphium frutescens
Common names: sea-rose, sticky flower (Eng.), teringbos (Afr.)
Family: Gentianaceae

Flowering in the heat of summer the glossy pink stars of Orphium frutescens always attract attention, especially with the surrounding vegetation going...

01 / 01 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Orothamnus zeyheri

Orothamnus zeyheri
Common names: marsh rose, mountain rose (Eng.); vleiroos, bergroos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

...

02 / 05 / 2016 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ornithogalum viridiflorum

Ornithogalum viridiflorum
Common names: green berg lily
Family: Hyacinthaceae

With its pale green foliage and upright stems crowned with yellowish green, bell-shaped, flowers, Green Berg Lilies make wonderful, ornamental garden plants...

08 / 05 / 2023 | Khotatso Baloyi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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