Plants of the Week

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E.g., 10/12/2024

Gasteria loedolffiae

Gasteria loedolffiae growing in habitat
Common names: Mzimvubu ox-tongue (Engl.); Mzimvubu-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria loedolffiae is a aloe-like plant growing  as solitary specimens  or forming small groups on sheer shale cliffs of the Mzimvubu and Msikaba...

01 / 06 / 2015 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Galtonia candicans

Common names: berg lily, summer hyacinth, Cape hyacinth (Eng.); berglelie, Kaapse hiasint (Afr.); isidwa esimhlope (Zulu)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Galtonia candicans is now called Ornithogalum candicans....

14 / 04 / 2011 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gnidia triplinervis

See Lasiosiphon triplinervis...

01 / 01 / 2006 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gymnosporia buxifolia

Gymnosporia buxifolia
Common names: spikethorn, common spikethorn, stinking spike-thorn (Eng.); gewone pendoring, pendoring, stinkdoring, lemoendoring (Afr.); ingqwangane, ubangalala, us
Family: Celastraceae

Gymnosporia buxifolia is a very showy plant when in flower and can grow into an interesting and shapely small tree over time. It can be pruned to form...

30 / 11 / 2015 | Sameer Khan | 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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Gonioma kamassi

Gonioma kamassi (Andrea Durrheim)
Common names: kamassi, Knysna boxwood (Eng.); kamassiehout (Afr.); igala-gala (isiXhosa)
Family: Apocynaceae

A small, unusual and rewarding, rounded, evergreen shrub with fragrant white or pale yellow flowers that are produced in small clusters at the ends of...

27 / 10 / 2014 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gymnanthemum myrianthum

Gymnanthemum myrianthum flower head
Common names: blue bitter-tea, eared bitter-tea, blue vernonia, eared vernonia, poison tree-vernonia, wild lilac (Eng.); bloubittertee, bosbloutee (Afr.); uhluhlung
Family: Asteraceae

An unusual, striking, robust shrub or small tree that is suddenly beautiful when in flower in late autumn, with eye-catching clumps of mauve to white to...

05 / 12 / 2016 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch 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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Gymnanthemum corymbosum

Gymnanthemum corymbosum
Common names: mountain bitter-tea, mountain vernonia (Eng.); uhlunguhlungu (Zulu)
Family: Asteraceae

Gymnanthemum corymbosum is an attractive, fast-growing shrub, with interesting purple and white, daisy flowers in late summer and autumn, followed by fluffy...

03 / 07 / 2017 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium
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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 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 virgatus

Gladiolus virgatus (I. Ebrahim)
Common names: Helderberg Painted Lady
Family: Iridaceae

Lovers of the outdoors visiting Nature Reserves in the Boland mountains of the Western Cape, will often be enthralled by cheerful displays of pretty pink...

22 / 01 / 2018 | Gigi Laidler | CREW
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Gasteria koenii

A plant of Gasteria koenii with linear leaves, growing just above the stream bank of the Smitsrivier Gorge, on the southern foothills of the Osberg.
Common names: Osberg ox-tongue (Eng.); osberg-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria koenii is an exciting recent discovery, confined to the southern foothills of the Groot Swartberg, near Calitzdorp. The mottled, sickle-shaped...

05 / 03 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gibbaeum heathii

Gibbaeum heathii
Common names: baby bums (Eng.); bababoutjies, hondebalvygie, hondebal, volstruiswater (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

One of the curious miniature succulents that grow in between quarzitic stones and is endemic to the Klein Karoo. It is one of the most popular species...

23 / 07 / 2018 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gyrocarpus americanus subsp. africanus

Gyrocarpus americanus subsp. africanus
Common names: propeller tree, helicopter tree (Eng.); helikopterboom (Afr.); mutama, mudzoudzhou (Tshivenda).
Family: Hernandiaceae

An interesting tree with a smooth, grey to silvery white trunk, and ovoid fruit crowned with 2 wings, which look remarkably like the slender wings of a...

20 / 08 / 2018 | Matome Leboho | Pretoria NBG
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Gossypium herbaceum subsp. africanum

Gossypium herbaceum subsp. africanum (Ernst Schmidt)
Common names: wild cotton (Eng.); wildekatoen (Afr.); kotini (Xho.); litjinda (Swa.); ugampokwe, umgawuma (Zul.)
Family: Malvaceae

The wild cotton plant, Gossypium herbaceum subsp. africanum, is often only noticed when in fruit or when bearings its hibiscus-like flowers....

13 / 10 / 2014 | Mandisa Kondlo | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Grewia retinervis

Grewia retinervis
Common names: Kalahari raisin, false sandpaper raisin, Kalahari donkey berry, Kalahari grewia, Kalahari raisin bush, kalahari-sand grewia, kalahari sand raisin (Eng
Family: Malvaceae

Grewia retinervis is a hardy shrub with bright yellow flowers in summer and shiny, reddish brown edible fruits....

18 / 03 / 2019 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gladiolus angustus

Gladiolus angustus
Common names: long-tubed painted lady, marsh painted lady (Eng); katjietee (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

...

11 / 11 / 2019 | Ofentse Naanyane | Pretoria NBG
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Grewia flava

Grewia flava
Common names: velvet raisin, wild currant, brandybush (Eng.); rosyntjiebos, brandewynbos, wilderosyntjie (Afr.); mothetlwa (Nso.); umlalampunzi, unhlwampunzi (Zul.)
Family: Malvaceae

A hardy shrub or small tree up to ± 4 m high, it gives an impressive show of yellow, star-shaped flowers in summer. This tree is ideal to attract...

09 / 12 / 2019 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Geissorhiza tulbaghensis

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Common names: Tulbagh satin flower (Eng.); sysie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis has one of the most beautiful, and largest flowers in its genus. It does well as a pot plant and is one of the most easily cultivated...

06 / 01 / 2020 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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