Plants of the Week

Freylinia tropica

Common names: Waterberg bell-bush, blue honey-bell, blue freylinia (Eng.), inyanga hedge plant (Shona)

Family: Scrophulariaceae

This shrub makes a good garden subject for summer rainfall areas....

10 / 09 / 2001 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Felicia elongata

Common names: Saldanha felicia, tricolour felicia (Eng.), driekleurblommetjie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Felicia elongata is a striking perennial daisy, with large white or mauve flowers. What makes this Felicia so different from the other felicias, is the...

10 / 09 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Schotia brachypetala

Common names: weeping boer-bean, tree fuchsia, African walnut (Eng.); huilboerboon (Afr.); umfofofo, umgxam, ishimnumyane (Xhosa), ihluze, umgxamu, uvovovo (Zulu),

Family: Fabaceae

A handsome tree with a wide-spreading, rounded crown, and bright red, nectar-filled flowers in spring and early summer that attract many birds and insects;...

03 / 09 / 2001 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Erythrina acanthocarpa

Common names: Tambookie Thorn, Tambuki Thorn (Eng.), Tamboekiedoring, Tamboekiewortel, Wag-'n-Bietjiedoring (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

This is a very attractive shrub with striking red and green flowers....

03 / 09 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

Veltheimia bracteata

Common names: forest lily, forest sand-lily, winter red hot poker (Eng.); sandui, sandlelie (Afr.)

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Veltheimia bracteata is a beautiful deciduous bulb with a moderate to fast growth rate. The inflorescence is a dense raceme of tubular flowers carried...

27 / 08 / 2001 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acokanthera oppositifolia

Common names: Bushman's Poison; Boesmansgif (Afrikaans); inHlungunyembe (Zulu); iNtlungunyembe (Xhosa)

Family: Apocynaceae

The Bushman's poison is a medium to large woody shrub with attractive hard dark green leaves. ...

27 / 08 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Hermannia saccifera

Common names: cumin hermannia (Eng.); komynbossie (Afr.)

Family: Malvaceae

Hermannia saccifera is fairly widespread along the southern coast of South Africa, where it occurs on stony clay slopes from the Riviersonderend mountains...

20 / 08 / 2001 | Bernard Brown | Kirstenbosch NBG

Clivia miniata

Common names: bush lily (Eng.); boslelie (Afr.); umayime (Zulu)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

A striking plant, an international star, with its dark green leaves and trumpet-shaped orange flowers, Clivia miniata is the ideal plant for the...

20 / 08 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Elegia tectorum

Common names: Cape thatching reed, deckreed (Eng.), dakriet, dekriet (Afr.)

Family: Restionaceae

This restio makes a most attractive garden plant, and can be used for thatching....

13 / 08 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Erica cerinthoides

Common names: fire erica, fire heath, red hairy heath, rooihaartjie, klipheide

Family: Ericaceae

...

13 / 08 / 2001 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG

Felicia echinata

Common names: dune daisy, prickly felicia (Eng.), bloublommetjie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Felicia echinata is easy to recognize by its glossy leaves that are edged with small white teeth and curved to form a sharp tip. This prickly protection...

06 / 08 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Buddleja salviifolia

Common names: sagewood, butterfly bush, mountain sage (Eng.); saliehout (Afr.); ewanci, ilotana, igqange (Xhosa); igwangi, iloshane, ilothane, ilotshane, mupambati

Family: Scrophulariaceae

This small tree is deliciously scented in early spring....

06 / 08 / 2001 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Protea neriifolia

Common names: oleander-leaf protea, narrow-leaf protea (Eng.), baardsuikerbos, baardsuikerkan, blousuikerkan (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Protea neriifolia is an excellent plant for the garden and an outstanding and long lasting cut flower....

30 / 07 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Aloe striata

Common names: Coral Aloe (English); Blouaalwyn (Afrikaans)

Family: Asphodelaceae

...

30 / 07 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Ptaeroxylon obliquum

Common names: Sneezewood, Nieshout, umThathi (Xhosa

Family: Rutaceae

Ptaeroxylon (pronounced 'teroxillon') is a direct Greek translation meaning sneeze and wood; obliquum refers to the oblique leaflets. Umtata in...

27 / 07 / 2001 | Robert Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Loxostylis alata

Common names: Wild Pepper Tree, Tarwood, Tigerwood (Eng.), Wildepeperboom, Breekhout, Tederhout, Teerhout, Tierhout (Afr.), Isibara (Zulu), Isibara (Xhosa)

Family: Anacardiaceae

A small, well-shaped tree with glossy foliage tinged with red when young and masses of white flowers in early summer, and if the tree is a female it has...

27 / 07 / 2001 | Robert Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Coleonema aspalathoides

Common names: confetti bush

Family: Rutaceae

Coleonema aspalathoides forms a dense upright shrub, 0.5 - 1 m tall. Bright pink, star-shaped flowers, 8-10 mm in diameter, are borne singly but in profusion...

23 / 07 / 2001 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Aloe ferox

Common names: bitter aloe, red aloe (English); bitteraalwyn, bergaalwyn (Afrikaans); iNhlaba (Zulu); iKhala (Xhosa)

Family: Asphodelaceae

This is one of the best known South african plants with a long history of medicinal use. An attractive form of Aloe ferox is found in KwaZulu-Natal,...

23 / 07 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG