Plants of the Week

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E.g., 02/12/2024

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Cadaba aphylla

Cadaba aphylla Photo © Rod Saunders
Common names: leafless cadaba, leafless wormbush, black storm, desert spray (Eng.); swartstorm, bobbejaanarm, bloustam, doubos, douwurmbos, gifhoutjie, rooistorm, s
Family: Brassicaceae

...

03 / 05 / 2004 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Caesalpinia rostrata

Flowers
Common names: beakpod plumeflower/ beaked plumeflower (Eng.); tuitpeulpronkstert (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

This medium to large scrambling shrub with its beautiful leaf patterns produces pink flowers towards the end of the year. It is an interesting plant for...

08 / 04 / 2013 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Callilepis laureola

Flower: Photo: von Fintel
Common names: Ox-eye Daisy (eng.); Wildemargriet (Afr.); mila (Sw); amafuthomhlaba, ihlamvu, impila (Z)
Family: Asteraceae

This is a spring flower of the grasslands with the unusual combination of dark disc, white rays and bright green foliage, making it an attractive garden...

24 / 03 / 2008 | Desiree Marimuthoo | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Calobota cytisoides

Calobota cytisoides inflorescence
Common names: bush ganna (Eng.), ganna, geelertjiebos, kristinabos (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Calobota cytisoides is an attractive, yellow-flowered shrub which is widespread in the Western Cape Province of South Africa....

14 / 06 / 2010 | S Boatwright | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Calodendrum capense

Calodendrum capense
Common names: Cape chestnut, wild chestnut (Eng.); wildekastaiing, Kaapsekastaiing (Afr.); umbaba, umsitshana (Xhosa); umbhaba, umemezi omhlophe (Zulu), molalakgwed
Family: Rutaceae

Calodendrum capense, a beautiful tree from the Cape, the name says it all: kalos means beautiful, and dendron  is Greek for tree, capense is...

17 / 12 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Calpurnia aurea

Flowers
Common names: common calpurnia, calpurnia, wild laburnum, Natal laburnum, Cape laburnum (E); geelkeurboom, geelkeur, Natalse geelkeur (A); inDloli, umSitshana (X);
Family: Fabaceae

With decorative foliage, showy yellow flowers and a graceful habit, Calpurnia aurea is an asset in any garden....

09 / 05 / 2005 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Campanulaceae

Roella ciliata
Common names: bell flower, bluebell family (Eng.); klokkiesfamilie (Afr.)
Family: Campanulaceae

This is a cosmopolitan family with showy flowers, mainly from the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere South Africa is particularly rich...

27 / 09 / 2004 | C Cupido | Compton Herbarium
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Cannabis sativa

Young Cannabis plant
Common names: marijuana (Eng.); dagga (Afr.); Umya (Xhosa); Matekwane/Patse (Northern Sotho); Nsangu (Zulu)
Family: Cannabaceae

Current legislation prohibits the cultivation, possession and trade in cannabis in South Africa. This page is being posted for information purposes only...

09 / 08 / 2004 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cannomois virgata

Male inflorescence
Common names: bell reed, rekoala (Eng.); bergbamboes, besemriet,olifantsriet, perdehoef, assegaai (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Cannomois virgata is a fast-growing reed-like plant and is the only member of the genus to be found on the Cape Peninsula....

26 / 07 / 2004 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Canthium inerme

Leaves and fruits
Common names: turkey-berry; common turkey-berry; criss-cross turkey-berry; Cape date (Eng.); gewone bokdrol; doringels (Afr.); umvuthwamini (Xhosa, Zulu); umnyushul
Family: Rubiaceae

The ecological and cultural aspects of this tree, its lovely aesthetic qualities and its relatively widespread distribution in southern Africa, make this...

12 / 07 / 2004 | Jan-Hakon Burring | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Canthium ciliatum

Canthium ciliatum flowers & leaves © G. Nichols
Common names: hairy turkey berry (Eng.); harige bokdrol (Afr.); mulume-khoda (Venda); umnyushulumbe, umdakane, ubuchopho (Xhosa, Zulu), mvutfwamini (Swati).
Family: Rubiaceae

Canthium ciliatum is a hardy shrub or small tree found on forest margins and rock outcrops in the eastern regions of South Africa, and in Swaziland and...

24 / 01 / 2011 | Beate Hölscher | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Carissa bispinosa

Carissa bispinosa. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: forest num-num (Eng.); bosnoemnoem (Afr.); isibethankunzi, isabetha (Zul.)
Family: Apocynaceae

The genus Carissa consists of evergreen shrubs and trees, with handsome, glossy foliage and fragrant, starry-white, jasmine-like flowers. Ornamental and...

15 / 03 / 2004 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Carissa macrocarpa

Carissa macrocarpa
Common names: Natal plum, big num-num (Eng.); grootnoem-noem (Afr.); Amatungulu (Zulu)
Family: Apocynaceae

The Natal plum is a common and often conspicuous species in coastal bush and sand dunes....

29 / 03 / 2004 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG
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Carissa edulis

Carissa edulis
Common names: simple-spined num-num, climbing num-num, small num-num, (Eng.); enkeldoringnoemnoem, ranknoemnoem, kleinnoemnoem (Afr.); mothokolo (North Sotho); mur
Family: Apocynaceae

A fast-growing, thorny, scrambling shrub with glossy foliage, masses of fragrant white flowers in spring and small, oval red edible fruits in summer....

25 / 06 / 2012 | R Malatjie | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Carpobrotus dimidiatus

In flower
Common names: Natal sour fig (Eng.), Natalse suurvy/strandvy (Afr.), Ikhambi lamabulawo (Zulu)
Family: Aizoaceae

...

11 / 06 / 2007 | Siyabulela Nonjinge | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Carpobrotus edulis

Fresh and old pinkish flower
Common names: sour fig, Cape fig, Hottentots fig (Eng.); ghaukum, ghoenavy, Hottentotsvy, Kaapsevy, perdevy, rankvy, suurvy, vyerank, (Afr.); ikhambi-lamabulawo, um
Family: Aizoaceae

Carpobrotus edulis is an easy-to-grow succulent groundcover, ideal for low-maintenance and water-wise gardens. It is also a useful first-aid plant...

23 / 01 / 2006 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Carpobrotus quadrifidus

Bright flowers
Common names: West Coast sour fig, eland sour fig (Eng.); Weskus suurvy, elandsvy (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Carpobrotus quadrifidus, formerly named C. sauerae, stands out in the varied conglomeration of mesembs as the one species with the largest flowers....

17 / 02 / 2014 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Cassia abbreviata subsp. beareana

Flowers
Common names: long-tail cassia, sjambok pod, wild senna (Eng.); sjambokpeul, peulboom, peulbos, boontjieboom (Afr.), molepelepe, monêpênêpê (Tw), muboma, mulamb
Family: Fabaceae

The long-tail cassia is ideal for small to medium-sized gardens where it will attract attention with both its beautiful deep yellow, sweetly scented flowers...

03 / 03 / 2008 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Cassinopsis ilicifolia

Cassinopsis ilicifolia in fruit
Common names: Lemon Thorn (English), Lemoentjiedoring (Afrikaans), iMamba eluhlaza (Zulu), iCegceya (Xhosa)
Family: Icacinaceae
15 / 04 / 2002 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Cassine peragua

Colourful berries of Cassine peragua
Common names: Cape saffron, bastard saffron, false saffron, bastard saffronwood (Eng.); bastersaffraan, lepelhout (Afr.); iKhukhuzi (Xhosa); umKhukhuze, umBofanyamo
Family: Celastraceae

Cassine peragua is a medium-sized tree suitable for suburban gardens, with fragrant flowers and decorative, bird-attracting fruits, but its most attractive...

20 / 06 / 2005 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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