Plants of the Week

Wurmbea stricta

Common names: vleiblommetjie (Afr.)

Family: Colchicaceae

Scantily known in cultivation, the starry pink-and-white flowers of this easily grown cormous plant really deserve a place in containers, shallow garden...

27 / 06 / 2005 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Wurmbea marginata

Common names: Spider lily (Eng.), Swartkoppie (Afr.)

Family: Colchicaceae

...

13 / 06 / 2011 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Wurmbea elatior

Common names: pepper-and-salt flower (Eng.); sout-en-peper-blommetjie (Afr.); khahlana-ea-loti (seSotho)

Family: Colchicaceae

Wurmbea elatior is an attractive plant with striking white flowers marked with dark reddish purple and can be easily identified by its musky smell....

12 / 06 / 2023 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Witsenia maura

Common names: Bokmakierie's tail (Eng.); waaiertjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

This plant is one of the most striking woody iris shrubs; very different from the familiar herbaceous genera such as the Iris and Gladiolus, but equally...

09 / 06 / 2003 | Antonia Xaba | Harold Porter NBG

Withania somnifera

Common names: winter cherry (Eng.); bitterappelliefie, geneesblaarbossie, koorshout (Afr.); bofepha (Sotho); ubuvuma (Xhosa); ubuvimbha (Zulu); ashwagandha (Hindi).

Family: Solanaceae

Fruits of this plant were found in a floral collar of the innermost coffin of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. (Mabberley 2008 : 911)....

05 / 12 / 2011 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Willdenowia teres

Common names: None recorded.

Family: Restionaceae

Willdenowia teres belongs to a genus of 12 species of restio, 6 of which occur on the Cape Peninsula. It is a tall rhizomatous plant with male and female...

22 / 07 / 2015 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Willdenowia incurvata

Common names: sonkwas restio (Eng.); sonkwasriet (Afr.)

Family: Restionaceae

This is a tough, densely tufted plant that can be used as an accent plant and is ideal for fynbos gardens. The plants produce attractive brown bracts during...

01 / 07 / 2019 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG

Widdringtonia schwarzii

Common names: Baviaanskloof cedar, Willowmore cedar (Eng.); Baviaanskloofseder (Afr.)

Family: Cupressaceae

Widdringtonia schwarzii is an ancient giant from the Baviaanskloof Mountains, often with a gnarled trunk and spreading branches, which can reach 40...

23 / 04 / 2007 | C Cowell | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Widdringtonia nodiflora

Common names: mountain cedar, mountain cypress ( Eng.); bergsipres (Afr.)

Family: Cupressaceae

Widdringtonia nodiflora is a bush/tree with a columnar crown and attains a height of 5-7 m. The slender and upright form of the mountain cedar during...

20 / 03 / 2006 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

Widdringtonia cedarbergensis

Common names: Clanwilliam cedar, Cape cedar (Eng.); Clanwilliamseder, sederboom (Afr.)

Family: Cupressaceae

The Cederberg* region was named after the Clanwilliam cedar, which used to be a prominent feature of the Cederberg but which today is a rare sight. They...

23 / 06 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Welwitschia mirabilis

Common names: welwitschia (Eng.), tumboa, n'tumbo (Angolan), tweeblaarkanniedood (Afr.), !kharos (Nama/Damara), nyanka (Damara), khurub (Nama), onyanga (Herero)

Family: Welwitschiaceae

Weird, peculiar, wonderful, strange, bizarre, fascinating, and of course, unique, are the kind of words that are used to describe the welwitschia. It is...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia vanderspuyiae

Common names: bergsuurkanol (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia vanderspuyiae is a robust geophyte with bright red tubular flowers. It attracts sunbirds and is an ideal candidate for large fynbos gardens,...

21 / 11 / 2011 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia tabularis

Common names: Table Mountain watsonia (Eng.); suurkanol, kanolpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia tabularis has showy summer flowers, attracts Sunbirds and Sugarbirds and is well suited to fynbos gardens....

14 / 12 / 2015 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia strubeniae

Common names: Sabie watsonia Graskop watsonia, Struben’s watsonia (Eng.) Graskopse-kanolpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia strubeniae is a charming grassland geophyte endemic to Mpumalanga, known for its tall spikes of pale pink autumn flowers, and it thrives in sunny,...

04 / 11 / 2024 | Pfuluwani Ndou | Lowveld NBG

Watsonia strictiflora

Common names: Klipheuwel watsonia (Eng.); Klipheuwel lakpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia strictiflora is a striking, rose-pink-flowered, dwarf species with peculiar perianth tubes that are straight and constricted below and strongly...

28 / 11 / 2016 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia pillansii

Common names: Pillans’ watsonia, summer watsonia, bugle lily, Beatrice watsonia (Eng.); suurkanol, knolpypie, lakpypie (Afr.); igotyibe (isiXhosa)

Family: Iridaceae

...

29 / 02 / 2016 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia mtamvunae

Common names: Umtamvuna watsonia

Family: Iridaceae

...

03 / 09 / 2012 | N Petela | CREW

Watsonia marginata

Common names: broad-leaf watsonia (Eng.), breëblaar-kanolpypie, rooikanolpypie, kanolpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia marginata is a very pretty plant, with attractive foliage and gorgeous spikes of cup-shaped pink or white flowers. It is easily distinguished...

29 / 10 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Watsonia lepida

Common names: lonesome watsonia (Eng.); khahla (Sesotho)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia lepida has showy pink flowers in midsummer, it is a summer-grower from the Drakensberg Mountains, that occurs as scattered individuals amongst...

14 / 10 / 2024 | Mashudu Tshitereke | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Watsonia latifolia

Common names: broad-leaved watsonia (Eng.); sidvwa (siSwati)

Family: Iridaceae

This is an attractive plant with very showy maroon-red flowers that make it stand out on hillsides where it grows amongst rocks....

17 / 09 / 2012 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

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