Plants of the Week

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E.g., 23/12/2024
E.g., 23/12/2024

Gladiolus aureus

Gladiolus aureus
Common names: golden gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus aureus is a delicate, cormous plant, producing striking golden-yellow blooms in late winter and spring. Among South Africa’s many critically...

01 / 04 / 2019 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus carmineus

Gladiolus carmineus flower
Common names: cliff gladiolus, Hermanus gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus carmineus is a striking geophyte with intensely red-pink flowers....

02 / 05 / 2011 | M Treurnicht | CREW
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Gladiolus caryophyllaceus

Flowers of G.caryophyllaceus
Common names: Pink Afrikander (Eng.); Pienkafrikaner, Sandveldlelie, Sandpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus caryophyllaceus is a robust and beautiful pink-flowered cormous plant with a heady perfume reminiscent of cloves and carnations. It makes...

07 / 10 / 2013 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus crassifolius

Gladiolus crassifolius
Common names: thick-leaved gladiolus (Eng.); igulusha, ingangulazi (isiZulu); sidvwana (isiSwazi); khahla-e-nyenyane (Southern Sotho)
Family: Iridaceae

A dainty perennial geophyte, with substantial stems and brightly coloured flowers; it grows wild in well-drained, rocky grasslands of eastern southern...

21 / 08 / 2017 | Khayelihle Magubane | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Gladiolus dalenii

Gladiolus dalenii flowers
Common names: African gladiolus, parrot lily, sword lily (Eng.); papegaaigladiolus, wildeswaardlelie (Afr.); khahla-e-kholo (Sesotho); sidvwana (siSwati); isidwi es
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus dalenii and other Gladiolus species are popular garden plants, cultivated in Europe for more than 250 years and renowned for their striking,...

18 / 04 / 2011 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG
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Gladiolus ecklonii

Gladiolus ecklonii (Peter Warren)
Common names: sheathed gladiolus (Eng.); kxahla, litsoantsoang, makhabebe (SS); sidvwana (Sw)
Family: Iridaceae

A cormous plant with beautiful, variously spotted, pink, red or purple flowers on a white background, in summer....

26 / 06 / 2017 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Gladiolus floribundus

Gladiolus floribundus
Common names: common swordlily
Family: Iridaceae

A winter-growing gladiolus with showy spikes of striped, white or pale pink flowers in spring; well suited to winter-rainfall gardens and suitable for...

10 / 01 / 2022 | Mizpah Hoffman | TSP
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Gladiolus guthriei

Gladiolus guthriei
Common names: fragrant afrikaner, rock afrikaner (Eng.); kaneelpypie, aandblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus guthriei is a beautiful and highly fragrant species, making it a very worthy addition to the winter garden or container collection.South...

04 / 06 / 2012 | Victoria Wilman | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Gladiolus liliaceus

Gladiolus liliaceus
Common names: large brown-afrikaner, large brown africander, brown africander, sword lily (Eng.); ribbokblom, aandpypie, grootbruinafrikaner, kaneelaandblom, bruina
Family: Iridaceae

The large brown-afrikaner has a remarkable ability to transform its flower colour from light brown, pinkish-red, tan, purplish, cream or greenish-yellow...

07 / 10 / 2024 | Ramafalo Dikeledi | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gladiolus longicollis

Gladiolus longicollis (Dineo Dibakwane)
Common names: honey flower (Eng.); aandblom (Afr.); umbejo (Zulu); khahla-e-nyenyane, kukhurupa (Southern Sotho)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus longicollis has pale yellow to white, long-tubed, night-blooming flowers that are either uniformly coloured or mottled with brown and have a...

13 / 11 / 2017 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Gladiolus loteniensis

Gladiolus loteniensis (Ansell Matcher)
Common names: Loteni gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

The Critically Rare Gladiolus loteniensis blossoms into a delicate plant, with small mauve flowers....

15 / 08 / 2016 | Kaveesha Naicker | CREW
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Gladiolus monticola

Gladiolus monticola
Common names: mountain painted lady, autumn painted lady (Eng.); bergpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

When you find yourself walking on the top of Table Mountain in February or March, you might be fortunate to lay eyes on this rare beauty with its delicately...

01 / 06 / 2020 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW
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Gladiolus oppositiflorus

Gladiolus oppositiflorus
Common names: Transkei gladiolus, salmon gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

Gladioli are popular garden plants, cultivated in Europe for more than 250 years and renowned for their striking, colourful flowers. But did you know that...

15 / 05 / 2006 | Lize Agenbag | Pretoria NBG
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Gladiolus papilio

Gladiolus papilio
Common names: butterfly gladiolus, goldblotch gladiolus (Eng.); ibutha, igulusha (Zul.).
Family: Iridaceae

When exploring the wetlands of the eastern regions of South Africa, these pinkish mauve, nodding flowers are sure to capture your attention....

15 / 03 / 2021 | Simone Chetty | CREW
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Gladiolus permeabilis

Gladiolus permeabilis
Common names: partridge pypie, small afrikander (Eng.); patrysuintjie, kleinafrikaner, koningaandblom, lituin (Afr.); khahla-e-nyenyane (Sesotho); sidvwana (siSwati
Family: Iridaceae

A hardy bulbous plant with dainty and intensely sweet-smelling flowers, perfectly paired with short grasses.Fig. 1. Flowers of Gladiolus permeabilis var....

28 / 02 / 2022 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gladiolus rehmannii

Gladiolus rehmannii in flower
Common names: Bushveld gladiolus (Eng.); bosveldpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus rehmannii is a very attractive garden plant, forming part of the tremendous diversity within the Iris family.  It has large, white to pale...

18 / 05 / 2015 | Malesolo Magoele | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Gladiolus sericeovillosus

Gladiolus sericeovillosus
Common names: large speckled gladiolus (Eng.); isidwa, udwendweni, isidwa esincane, umlunge (siZulu); bloupypie (Afr.); sidvwana (isiSwazi)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus sericeovillosus is a medium-sized, summer-flowering Gladiolus with flower spikes up to 1.5 m tall with dull red, lilac, pink, white or cream...

19 / 08 / 2024 | Lesego Tlhatlhelang | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Gladiolus serpenticola

Gladiolus serpenticola
Common names: serpentine sword lily, serpentine gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

A striking, attractive, summer-flowering plant, with spectacular, giant flower spikes of 18 to 30, small, pale pink flowers with pale mauve markings on...

08 / 08 / 2022 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Gladiolus stefaniae

Gladiolus stefaniae
Common names: Montagu gladiolus (Eng.); Montagu kliplelie (Afr.) (meaning rock lily)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus stefaniae is a cormous, autumn-flowering plant, with exquisite, large, scarlet or carmine blooms. Although rare in the wild, its cultivation...

01 / 06 / 2020 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus vandermerwei

Flowers of Gladiolus vandermerwei
Common names: Overberg renosterveld gladiolus (Eng.); rooipypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus vandermerwei is a highly threatened species, occurring in the Ruens Renosterveld areas of the eastern Overberg. This species has become a flagship...

15 / 12 / 2014 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW
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