Plants of the Week

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Cyrtanthus ventricosus

Flowers. Photo Colin Paterson Jones
Common names: fire lily; brandlelie (Afrikaans)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant, a true fire lily, defies the elements by producing its beautiful, salmon to scarlet blooms just nine days after the seemingly destructive effects...

07 / 10 / 2013 | D Snijman | Compton Herbarium
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Cyrtanthus sanguineus

Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Common names: Kei lily, Inanda lily, Nahoon lily, large red cyrtanthus, fire lily (Eng.), Keilelie, vuurlelie (Afr.), isilawu esimhlophe (isiXhosa).
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Kei lily is a bulbous plant that forms clumps of strappy leaves. It does well as a bedding plant in light shade, providing colour to any dull flower bed...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
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Cyrtanthus obliquus

Cyrtanthus obliquus flowers
Common names: Knysna lily (Eng.); Knysnalelie (Afr.); Umathaga (IsiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus obliquus is a very attractive evergreen species, with its large pendulous flowers and grey-green leaves. It would be a welcome addition...

26 / 10 / 2009 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Cyrtanthus macmasteri

C.macmasteri.  Image Cameron MacMaster
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus macmasteri was described in 2003 after being found in 1994 by naturalist Cameron McMaster at the Bolo River Gorge in the Eastern Cape....

09 / 10 / 2006 | Suvarna Parbhoo | Pretoria NBG
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Cyrtanthus mackenii

Ifafa lilies
Common names: ifafa Lily
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This charming, sweetly scented bulb is long-flowering and easy to cultivate. It belongs to the genus Cyrtanthus which contains many beautiful species.Cyrtanthus...

22 / 07 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus leucanthus

Cyrtanthus leucanthus
Common names: white fire lily (Eng.); witbergpypie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus leucanthus, stimulated to flower by fire, is a threatened species of the largest African genus in the Amaryllidaceae family....

12 / 03 / 2012 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Cyrtanthus herrei

Cyrthanthus herrei
Common names: Richtersveld cyrtanthus
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This striking bulb comes from arid parts of southern Africa....

23 / 07 / 2007 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Cyrtanthus flammosus

Cyrtanthus flammosus growing in habitat
Common names: Kouga flame lily (Eng.); Kouga-vlamlelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This exciting ornamental bulbous plant with its large solitary orange-red flower is only known from the cliffs along the Kouga River and adjacent territory...

22 / 07 / 2013 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus falcatus

Flower of Cyrtanthus falcatus
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful cyrtanthus with its curious 'shepherd's crook' flower stem and long arching leaves is very easily cultivated and deserves to...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus elatus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: George lily, Scarborough lily (Eng.); george-lelie, knysna-lelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus elatus is a bulbous plant from the fynbos, with spectacular, scarlet, deep red, rose-pink or rarely, white blooms, which appear from late spring...

29 / 03 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Cyrtanthus breviflorus flowering after fire
Common names: yellow fire lily, wild crocus (Eng.); geelvuurlelie, wildekrokus (Afr.); umpimpilizi (SiSwati); injobo, uvelabahleke (isiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Yellow fire lily is a small grassland bulb from the amaryllis family, with bright yellow flowers all year round. It grows naturally in moist or dry grasslands...

14 / 08 / 2023 | Itumeleng Machete | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Cyrtanthus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: fire lily (Eng.); brandlelie, vuurlelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus is an African genus of bulbous plants, comprising an extraordinary range of attractive flower forms, in a wide range of colours. Many species...

19 / 07 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyphostemma juttae

Leaves and berries
Common names: wild grape, tree grape, Namibian grape (Eng.); droog-my-keel (Afr.)
Family: Vitaceae

The tree grape is a slow-growing succulent with a huge swollen trunk (caudiciform).  ...

19 / 08 / 2002 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Cyperus textilis

Baskets made of Cyperus textilis
Common names: mat sedge, umbrella sedge, basket grass, rushes, emezi grass (Eng.); matjiesgoed, kooigoed, (Afr.); imisi (Xhosa)
Family: Cyperaceae

This is a decorative waterside plant that can also be used to weave baskets and sleeping mats or to make rolled twine....

26 / 05 / 2003 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyperus prolifer

Inflorescence of C .prolifer
Common names: miniature papyrus
Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus prolifer is an attractive, medium-sized member of the sedge family, suitable for waterside planting. Although much smaller, the plant bears a superficial...

31 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG
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Cyperus papyrus

Young culms of Cyperus papyrus
Common names: papyrus (Eng.); papirus (Afr.); the bulrush of the Bible
Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus papyrus is a stately aquatic member of the sedge family. The plants are easily cultivated and suitable for medium to large water features, especially...

24 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG
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Cyperaceae

Cyperus papyrus
Common names: sedges (Eng.); biesies (Afr.)
Family: Cyperaceae

A large, cosmopolitan family of mostly herbaceous plants, Cyperaceae occur primarily in moist temperate to wet tropical regions of the world; several species...

01 / 08 / 2005 | Clare Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cynorhiza typica

C. typica inflorescence in flower Photo: A. Magee  ©
Common names: bierwortel, gatagaai, hondewortel (Afr.)
Family: Apiaceae

Cynorhiza typica is a striking wild carrot, the root of which was once commonly used in the West Coast region of the Cape to brew an intoxicating honey...

06 / 06 / 2011 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium
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Cynoglossum hispidum

Cynoglossum hispidum
Common names: hound's tongue (Eng.); beestongblaar, knoppiesklitsbossie, ossetongblaar (Afr.); bohomenyana (Southern Sotho)
Family: Boraginaceae

This is a biennial or perennial herb with small, drooping, purplish red flowers. It is characterized by loosely branched inflorescences and fruits...

30 / 05 / 2005 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cynodon dactylon

Cynodon dactylon
Common names: couch grass, quick grass, Bermunda quick grass, finger grass, running grass (Eng.); kweekgras, fynkweek, anosterkweek, renosterkweek, elandskweek, gem
Family: Poaceae

This well-known grass is adaptable and is found almost world-wide, from deserts to the lawn in your garden. Most gardeners, if not most people, will know...

03 / 04 / 2006 | C Mudau | Pretoria NBG
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