Plants of the Week

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Ehretia rigida

Ehretia rigida in flower. Image Geoff Nicols
Common names: puzzle bush (Eng.); deurmekaarbos (Afr.); umHlele (Zulu); Morobe (Northern Sotho); iBotshane (Xhosa); Mutepe (Venda)
Family: Boraginaceae

Ehretia rigida is a deciduous small tree or shrub, usually multi-stemmed, with an untidy rounded crown. It has tangled branches which arch downwards or...

23 / 12 / 2003 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ehrharta calycina

Ehrharta calycina
Common names: common ehrharta, common veld grass (Eng.); gewone ehrharta, rooigras, polgras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

Ehrharta calycina is usually perennial with strongly geniculate culms (stems), red-flowers and a creeping, branched rhizome....

01 / 09 / 2008 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | Pretoria NBG
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Ekebergia capensis

Fruit (Photo Geoff NIchols)
Common names: Cape ash, dogplum (E), essenhout (A), mmidibidi (NS), umnyamatsi (SW), nyamaru (Ts)
Family: Meliaceae

This is a large attractive evergreen tree that has been used as a street tree in many towns and cities of South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic...

27 / 12 / 2004 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ekebergia pterophylla

Flowers and berry
Common names: rock ash (Eng.); rotsessenhout (Afr.); maGwedla (Swahili)
Family: Meliaceae

This is a tidy, attractive, evergreen shrub/tree, with sweetly scented flowers, bearing berries....

07 / 11 / 2005 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elaeodendron croceum

Fruit of E. croceum
Common names: saffron; saffron wood, forest saffron (Eng.); saffraan, bossafraan (Afr.)
Family: Celastraceae

Elaeodendron croceum is an attractive, evergreen tree with a neat, upright shape which can with care be cultivated in gardens large and small....

07 / 06 / 2004 | Robert Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Elaeodendron transvaalense

Elaeodendron transvaalense. Image copyright Geoff Nichols
Common names: bushveld saffron (Eng.); bosveldsaffraan, lepelhout (Afr.); iNgwavuma, uMgugudo (Zulu); shimapana (Tsonga); monamane (Northern Sotho)
Family: Celastraceae

Elaeodendron transvaalense is an attractive, small to medium tree that fits perfectly in a small garden. Those gardening for biodiversity will find this...

28 / 05 / 2007 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Elegia aggregata

Elegia aggregata
Common names: Hermanus riet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Elegia aggregata is a tufted plant with attractive smooth stems. The stems are blue-green with dark brown inflorescences. This plant can be used in...

06 / 01 / 2014 | Zitobile Sikova | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia capensis

Elegia capensis
Common names: horsetail restio (Eng.); besemriet, fonteinriet, katstert, kanet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This restio is a tall, dark green, elegant plant with large, decorative, papery sheaths along the stems. It is a good feature plant next to a pond, a swimming...

09 / 02 / 2004 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia cuspidata

Elegia cuspidata
Common names: blombiesie (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

At last, a restio that you will not struggle to identify! Elegia cuspidata has distinctive features and is suited for planting in a Cape Peninsula...

27 / 06 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia equisetacea

Elegia equisetacea
Family: Restionaceae

This is an attractive reed-like plant with large, golden seed heads forming a bright patch in a garden where it will dance and whisper in the wind....

04 / 08 / 2003 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia fistulosa

Elegia fistulosa
Common names: Hollow Reed, Pypriet
Family: Restionaceae

Elegia fistulosa is a tall, grass-like plant, decorative nearly all year round, low-maintenance, easy and rewarding to grow....

12 / 11 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia grandispicata

Male in flower
Common names: none known
Family: Restionaceae

Elegia grandispicata is a restio with large golden inflorescences that seem to glow in the early morning light....

24 / 06 / 2013 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia nuda

E. nuda mixed male and female plants
Common names: none known
Family: Restionaceae

Elegia nuda is a neat upright-growing restio. The light green stems (called culms) contrast well with the black flower heads, and planted en...

19 / 04 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia stipularis

E. stipularis
Common names: cushion restio
Family: Restionaceae

Elegia stipularis is a colourful and delicate low-growing and water-wise restio that can be used to enliven any garden....

10 / 12 / 2007 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elephantorrhiza elephantina

Elephantorrhiza elephantina - an individual flowering branch projecting from the ground
Common names: eland's bean, eland's wattle, elephant's root (Eng.); baswortel, elandsboontjie, leerbossie, looiersboontjie, olifantswortel (Afr.); mupangara (Shona)
Family: Fabaceae

Underground trees might sound like a new environmentalist movement, but these fascinating plants do exist in reality. In more than one way, they've...

12 / 07 / 2010 | Alicia Grobler | Pretoria NBG
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Empleurum unicapsulare

Empleurum unicapsulare
Common names: false buchu, river buchu (Eng.); bergboegoe, wildeboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

Empleurum unicapsulare is a single-stemmed, evergreen shrub, which has a similar growth habit to a willow tree. It slender and upright growth form with...

19 / 06 / 2006 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Empodium elongatum

Empodium elongatum (David Styles)
Common names: autumn star
Family: Hypoxidaceae

Autumn stars, elusive among grasses, are spotted by their bright yellow starry flowers....

28 / 10 / 2013 | N Mahvungu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Encephalartos umbeluziensis

Cones
Common names: Umbeluzi cycad (Eng.); Umbeluzi broodboom (Afr.)

Encephalartos umbeluziensis is a small cycad with an unbranched, subterranean stem which rarely forms suckers. It is a frost-hardy species that grows best...

19 / 08 / 2013 | K w Sepheka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos altensteinii

Female cones of E. altensteinii
Common names: Eastern Cape cycad, Eastern Cape giant cycad (Eng.), oos-kaapse broodboom (Afr.), umphanga, umguza, isundu (Xhosa)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos altensteinii is a very ornamental garden plant and probably the most common of all the cycads in cultivation. This species is long-lived,...

08 / 11 / 2004 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos aplanatus

Encephalartos aplanatus cycad
Common names: Swazi north-east forest cycad (Eng.); Umphanga wehlathi (Zulu)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos aplanatus is a shade-loving cycad that closely resembles E. villosus. The leaflets of E. aplanatus, however, tend to be wider than those...

16 / 11 / 2009 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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