Plants of the Week

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E.g., 30/12/2024
E.g., 30/12/2024

Amphithalea tomentosa

Amphithalea tomentosa, inflorescence
Common names: hairy amphithalea
Family: Fabaceae

Ampithalea tomentosa is a striking plant found in Lowland Fynbos, with eye-catching, silvery foliage and yellow blossoms almost hidden by the hairy calyx,...

18 / 12 / 2023 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Zaluzianskya villosa

Zaluzianskya villosa
Common names: downy drumsticks (Eng.); verfblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

These small, dainty, white to mauve flowered annuals can be seen in spring and early summer in the Western Cape of South Africa. Unlike Zaluzianskya capensis,...

11 / 12 / 2023 | Karen Wall | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aristea spiralis

A clump of Aristea spiralis
Common names: star-eyed aristea, pale capeblue (Eng.)
Family: Iridaceae

Clumps of Aristea spiralis make a striking display, the large white to pale blue flowers with purple centres are very attractive and last throughout the...

11 / 12 / 2023 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos dolomiticus

Encephalartos dolomiticus
Common names: Wolkberg cycad (Eng.); Wolkberg-broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

The Wolkberg cycad is an extraordinarily beautiful species characterized by its striking blue colour. Adding to its attraction is the tendency to bear...

04 / 12 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | 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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Portulacaria fruticulosa

Portulacaria fruticulosa in flower
Common names: rose porkbush (Eng.), suikerkanna, roos-wolftoon (Afr.)
Family: Didiereaceae

Portulacaria fruticulosa is an ascending, much-branched shrub about 700 mm tall, with slender reddish-brown branches less than 1 mm in diameter at the...

27 / 11 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sparaxis auriculata

Sparaxis auriculata
Common names: Matsikamma sparaxis, ear satinflower (Eng.), fluweelblom, fluweeltjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A flowering bulbous plant with large, bright mauve and yellow, two-lipped flowers with six petals. It is a local endemic from the Matsikamma Mountains...

27 / 11 / 2023 | Sisipho Mqungguthu | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gasteria retusa

Gasteria retusa
Common names: Hex River ox-tongue (Eng.), Heksrivier beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria retusa is a cluster-forming leaf succulent of about 240 mm in diameter. The leaves are beautifully ornamented, wrinkled, with transverse bands...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Annona senegalensis

Ripe fruit of Annona senegalensis
Common names: wild custard apple, African custard apple (Eng.), wildesuikerappel (Afr.), umphofu (Zul.), umtelembu (Swa.), muyembe (Tso.), muembe (Ven.)
Family: Annonaceae

Annona senegalensis is a multi-stemmed, deciduous African fruit tree that is found in semi-arid to subhumid areas. It has a long history of traditional...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Accurate Sondlhana | Lowveld NBG
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Osteospermum scariosum

Osteospermum scariosum
Common names: sheep bush, sheep boneseed (Eng.); skaapbos, bietou, sagtebietou (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Osteospermum scariosum is a beautiful yellow daisy, the flowerheads often having a striking dark ring around the centre....

13 / 11 / 2023 | Khanya Ntondini | Compton Herbarium
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Grona setigera

Grona setigera
Common names: bristly tick-clover (Eng.); pomo, pomσ (Mende, Sierra Leone)
Family: Fabaceae

Grona setigera, commonly known as bristly tick-clover, is a beautiful legume that grows close to the ground, with remarkable, beautiful, colourful flowers...

13 / 11 / 2023 | Mbali Mkhize | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Desmodium repandum

Common names: orange tick-clover
Family: Fabaceae

See Hylodesmum repandum...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Tripteris aghillana

Common names: sheep bush, sheep boneseed (Eng.); skaapbos, bietou, sagtebietou (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

See Osteospermum scariosum...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Desmodium setigerum

Common names: bristly tick-clover
Family: Fabaceae

See Grona setigera...

08 / 11 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Babiana montana

Babiana montana
Common names: Agulhas baboon flower (Eng.); bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Babiana montana is a perennial plant, usually called bobbejaantjie or baboon flower, native to South Africa. It has hairy green leaves and purple flowers...

06 / 11 / 2023 | Philisiwe Nonhlanhla Biyela | Pretoria NBG
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Erica heliophila

Erica heliophila
Common names: sunlover heath (Eng.); sonliefhebber heide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica heliophila gives a show of creamy white or pale to deep pink flowers in midsummer (December to February)....

06 / 11 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crassula tetragona

Crassula tetragona ssp. robusta
Common names: kerkei, miniature pine tree, mini pine (Eng.); karkai (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

An attractive, hardy, evergreen succulent plant with a compact upright habit, dark green, sword-shaped leaves that curve upwards and creamy white flowers....

30 / 10 / 2023 | Thato Moeketsane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Grewia microthyrsa

Grewia microthyrsa
Common names: sand raisin (Eng.), sandrosyntjie (Afr.), mufuka (Tshivenda), nsihana (Xitsonga), umunywane, ilalanyathi, ikolo (isiZulu).
Family: Malvaceae

An indigenous shrub with edible fruit and attractive flowers....

30 / 10 / 2023 | Nompumelelo Nkosi | Pretoria NBG
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Portulacaria namaquensis

Illustration by Marieta Visagie
Common names: Namaqua porkbush (Eng.), wolftoon, Namakwariem, Namakwaspekboom (Afr.)
Family: Didiereaceae

Portulacaria namaquensis is an ascending, slow-growing shrub with pale creamy to yellowish or greyish, pencil-thin stems bearing many very short spur-branches...

23 / 10 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria humifusa

Ledebouria humifusa
Common names: broad-leaved African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

The broad-leaved African hyacinth is a bulbous plant with broad usually spotted leaves, which prefers to grow in the shade of forests or wooded areas amongst...

23 / 10 / 2023 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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