Plants of the Week

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

Senecio inornatus

Flowerheads
Common names: tall marsh senecio (Eng.); groot vlei-senecio (Afr.); Inkanga, Uhlabo (isiZulu); Lehlongoana-le-leholo (Southern Sotho).
Family: Asteraceae

Senecio inornatus is a tall robust plant that does not go unnoticed in any grassland or wetland. These solitary plants are often much taller than the...

21 / 04 / 2014 | Cynthia Mikateko Baloyi | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Trichilia emetica

Trichilia emtica fruits.Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: Natal mahogany; rooiessenhout (Afr.); mamba (Northern Sotho); umathunzini (isiZulu); umkuhlu (SiSwati); umkhuhlu (isiXhosa); nkulu (Xitsonga); mutuhu
Family: Meliaceae

The Natal mahogany is an evergreen tree with handsome dark green glossy leaves and a wide-spreading crown. Its sweet-scented flowers will attract bees...

28 / 04 / 2014 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aloe huntleyana

Aloe huntleyana
Common names: Huntley aloe (Eng.); Huntley-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe huntleyana is a small creeping aloe species with greyish green leaves ornamented at the base with white spots. It branches to form clusters of...

06 / 05 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Plectranthus reflexus

Plectranthus reflexus
Common names: ballerina spurflower; ballerina spoorsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

An attractive, unusual and rare shade plant for pots or shade gardens....

06 / 05 / 2014 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe catengiana

Aloe catengiana, flowerhead. (Image Duke Benadon)
Common names: Catengue-aloe, Catengue-aalwyn, okandolle (umbundu tongue).
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe catengiana is only known from the Catengue Railway Station in southwestern Angola. It is a shrubby ascending aloe with spreading, leafy branches...

12 / 05 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Hippia frutescens

Corymb of flowers. Image N van Berkel
Common names: scrambling wormwood (Eng.); rankals, kanferbossie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This is a good plant for moist gardens and also has a traditional medicinal use....

12 / 05 / 2014 | B Busch | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Conophytum calculus subsp. calculus

In flower in habitat
Common names: cone plants, dumplings, button plants, sphaeroids, conos; knopies (buttons), toontjies (little toes), waterblasies (water blisters) (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

These humorous-looking `pebble plants' are easy to grow in pots and their unusual night-time opening flowers have a delightfully spicy scent....

19 / 05 / 2014 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Conophytum wettsteinii

Flowering in autumn
Common names: cone plant, dumplings, button plants (Eng.); knopies (buttons), toontjies (little toes), waterblasies (water blisters), ogies (small eyes) (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Conophytum wettsteinii are highly collectable, easy to grow, dwarf-cushioned succulents that produce attractive pink flowers in autumn....

19 / 05 / 2014 | A Jakoet | Compton Herbarium
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Hessea

Hessea stellaris. Colin Paterson-Jones
Common names: umbrella lilies; sambreeltjies (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Hessea, with its delicate, umbrella-like clusters of star-shaped autumn flowers, is designed to delight....

26 / 05 / 2014 | D Snijman | Compton Herbarium
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Kalanchoe longiflora

Kalanchoe longiflora in flower
Common names: Tugela cliff-kalanchoe, long-flower kalanchoe (Eng.); Tugela kransplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Kalanchoe longiflora is a little-known succulent shrub with attractive multi-hued foliage and yellow flowers in autumn to winter. It is suitable for...

26 / 05 / 2014 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Liparia hirsuta

Flowers
Common names: common hard-leaved pea (Eng.); gewone hardeblaar-ertjie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

With its silvery, hairy calyx and bright yellow flowers, Liparia hirsuta is an eye-catching plant....

02 / 06 / 2014 | L Knight | CREW
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Coleus hadiensis

Coleus hadiensis inflorescence
Common names: hairy coleus (Eng.); harigesalie (Afr.); ilozane (isiXhosa); lehlati, imbozisa (Zulu)
Family: Lamiaceae

An attractive perennial shrub, with decorative aromatic foliage, suitable for planting in humid, moist and lightly shaded areas in small gardens....

02 / 06 / 2014 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleus madagascariensis

Coleus madascariensis 'Lynne'
Common names: thicket coleus, Madagascar coleus, candle plant (Eng.); ruigtemuishondblaar, Madagaskarmuishondblaar (Afr.); iboza lehlathi, ilozane (isiZulu)
Family: Lamiaceae

A robust, water-wise and attractive garden plant that will reliably provide colour in the garden....

09 / 06 / 2014 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sparaxis elegans

Sparaxis elegans
Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, pale harlequin flower (Eng.); spogfluweeltjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis elegans is, as its name suggests, one of the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing species the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) has to...

09 / 06 / 2014 | Brittany Arendse | CREW
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Podalyria buxifolia

Flower
Common names: box-leaf bush-sweetpea (Eng.); keurtjie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Podalyria buxifolia is a delicately beautiful shrub from the southern Cape mountains. It has attractive, dark-green, glossy leaves and the most exquisite...

16 / 06 / 2014 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Searsia crenata

Leaves and fruits
Common names: dune crow-berry; duinekraaibessie (Afr.)
Family: Anacardiaceae

If you live near the coast and need a plant that can serve as a windbreaker, is drought tolerant and able to bind soil effectively, then Searsia crenata is...

16 / 06 / 2014 | Benjamin Festus | Harold Porter NBG
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Lachenalia pygmaea

PLant in flower
Common names: none recorded; suggested name: pygmy hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This tiny lachenalia with pale, almond-scented flowers belongs to subgenus Polyxena and makes a delightful pot plant....

23 / 06 / 2014 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Paranomus sceptrum-gustavianus

Flower head
Common names: King Gustave's sceptre, bottlebrush, white sceptre, sceptre-like paranomus (Eng.); perdebos, septerpluimbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

This is a favourite among the Paranomus with showy, sweetly scented flowers and attractive foliage....

23 / 06 / 2014 | Nosiphelele Patricia Mapukata | Harold Porter NBG
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Falkia repens

Flower: Image Paul Linder ©
Common names: white carpet, African morning glory, creeping falkia, oortjies (Afr.)
Family: Convolvulaceae

This is an intriguing, fast-growing groundcover with lovely eye-catching white flowers that provides a carpet-like look upon first entering your yard or...

30 / 06 / 2014 | Z Nkabinde | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Helichrysum dasyanthum

Plants in flower
Common names: None recorded
Family: Asteraceae

Helichrysum dasyanthum is an attractive silver-grey shrublet with striking, bright yellow flowerheads in summer....

30 / 06 / 2014 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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