Plants of the Week

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E.g., 12/10/2024
E.g., 12/10/2024

Dombeya kirkii

Dombeya kirkii
Common names: river wild pear, river dombeya (Eng.); rivierdrolpeer (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

A fast growing and beautiful, ornamental wild pear with masses of white flowers in late summer and winter....

02 / 03 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dombeya cymosa

Flowers of Dombeya cymosa. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: small-flowered dombeya, smooth wild pear, Natal dombeya, Natal wild pear, hairless dombeya (Eng.); gladdeblompeer, Nataldrolpeer, gladdedrolpeer (Afr.
Family: Malvaceae

Dombeya cymosa is an ornamental, deciduous, small tree that bears showy, drooping, white, sweet-scented flowers....

27 / 04 / 2015 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Dombeya burgessiae

Dombeya burgessiae
Common names: pink wild pear, pink dombeya, persdrolpeer (Afrikaans), ibunda (Zulu)
Family: Malvaceae

The pink wild pear is a garden favourite used by many gardeners and landscapers for its profusion of pink to white flowers borne in dense clusters which...

07 / 05 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dombeya autumnalis

Dombeya autumnalis
Common names: autumn dombeya, autumn wild pear (English); rotsdrolpeer (Afrikaans)
Family: Malvaceae

This is another attractive shrub for the garden....

28 / 05 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia

Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia
Common names: sand olive (Eng.); sandolien, ysterbos (Afr.); mutata-vhana (Venda); mutepipuma (Shona)
Family: Sapindaceae

This well known, drought and wind resistant, indigenous plant can grow into a shrub as it is usually multi-stemmed, or a small tree when the lower branches...

27 / 02 / 2012 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Dissotis princeps

Dissotis princeps
Common names: purple dissotis, royal dissotis, wild tibouchina, purple wild tibouchina (Eng.); kalwerbossie (Afr.); sichobochobo, umpongamponga (Swazi)
Family: Melastomataceae

Dissotis princeps is an outstanding garden plant with magnificent flowers and decorative foliage. It is easy to grow, and is ideal for the water or vlei...

20 / 02 / 2006 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dissotis canescens

Dissotis canescens
Common names: pink wild tibouchina, pink marsh dissotis, ordeal bean (Eng); kalverbossie (Afr); imfeyesele (Zulu)
Family: Melastomataceae

This pretty shrub looks remarkably like a dwarf version of the related South American tibouchina trees (Tibouchina spp.) which are grown in the more...

02 / 04 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Disperis woodii

Disperis woodii in flower
Common names: horned kappie, Wood’s disperis (Eng.); horingmoederkappie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Disperis woodii is a tiny terrestrial orchid, with a cluster of leaves at the base and just one stem that produces a single flower with a long pointed...

04 / 12 / 2023 | Monde Zulu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Disparago anomala

Flowering in the fynbos
Family: Asteraceae

Disparago plants are very common in the fynbos vegetation but they are often not noticed until they flower. Even then, they are not large and showy but...

19 / 03 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Disa uniflora

Disa uniflora
Common names: pride of Table Mountain, red disa (Eng.), rooidisa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

This famous red orchid, emblem of the Western Cape, is strictly protected....

12 / 02 / 2001 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Disa tripetaloides

Disa tripetaloides
Family: Orchidaceae

Disa tripetaloides is a terrestrial evergreen orchid with beautiful white flowers. It grows along perennial mountain streams and on damp mountain slopes...

03 / 12 / 2007 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Disa nivea

Disa nivea
Common names: snow disa
Family: Orchidaceae

Its common name may suggest the pure white colour of the flowers, the red spots, however, carries the mystery for its survival, where it occurs in the...

10 / 06 / 2019 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Disa graminifolia

Disa graminifolia
Common names: blue disa (Eng.), bloumoederkappie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Disa graminifolia is one of the most attractive, and less known orchid species. It has violet-blue flowers in late summer to early autumn that catch one’s...

01 / 07 / 2024 | Lubanzi Kutshwa | Harold Porter NBG
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Disa cardinalis

Disa cardinalis
Family: Orchidaceae

Disa cardinalis,  found in the Western Cape, South Africa, is an attractive orchid with brilliant red flowers. The species is not often seen in nature...

02 / 02 / 2004 | H Kurzweil | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dipogon lignosus

Dipogon lignosus
Common names: Cape sweet pea (Eng.), mile-a-minute vine, dolichos pea (Australia); bosklimop, rankertjie, wilde-ertjie (Afr.) (= Dolichos lignosus L. and D. gibbosu
Family: Fabaceae

The Cape sweet pea "is a delicate and beautiful twiner and well worth cultivating" (Pole Evans 1931). This plant is a semi-evergreen, hardy perennial...

13 / 02 / 2012 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diplorhynchus condylocarpon

Twig with flowers
Common names: Rhodesian rubber tree, horn-pod tree, wild rubber (Eng.); horingpeultjieboom, horingpeulbos, melkbos (Afr.); mutowa (Shona); tsowa (Tsonga); ntsowa, m
Family: Apocynaceae

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon grows either as a shrub or as a small, graceful tree with drooping branches. Although it is seldom found in gardens, the...

04 / 12 / 2006 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Diospyros whyteana

Diospyros whyteana at Kirstenbosch
Common names: bladder-nut, blackbark (Eng.); swartbas (Afr.); mohlatsane (NS); munyavhili (V); umTenatane(X); uManzimane or umKahze(Z)
Family: Ebenaceae

This enticing little tree has so many wonderful features: dark green, strikingly glossy leaves; creamy fragrant flowers; unusual smooth, dark grey, almost...

24 / 06 / 2002 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diospyros simii

Diospyros simii
Common names: climbing star-apple, rub-rub berry, star apple (Eng.); ranksterappel, kraaibessie, kraaibessiebos, ranktolbessiebos, tolbessiebos (Afr.); umbongisa (i
Family: Ebenaceae

This fast-growing shrub or small tree grows well in sun or semi shade. It produces white flowers in spring, followed by decorative, orange-red, edible...

08 / 11 / 2021 | Zubayr Sydow | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diospyros scabrida var. cordata

Foliage showing red new growth
Common names: Hard-leaved monkey plum; blinkblaar,hardeblaartolbos (Afr.)
Family: Ebenaceae

This lovely little tree has three outstanding features to recommend it; its compact growth habit, its gorgeous glossy foliage and its unusual balloon fruit...

22 / 09 / 2014 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diospyros natalensis

Diospyros natalensis
Common names: acorn jackal-berry, acorn diospyros, small-leaved jackal-berry (Eng.); akkerjakkalsbessie, fynblaar jakkalsbessie, smalblaarjakkasbessie (Afr); umhlay
Family: Ebenaceae

A beautiful, densely branched, evergreen shrub or small tree, with attractive, glossy, dark green leaves, small white flowers in spring and yellowish to...

14 / 06 / 2021 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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