Plants of the Week

Begonia dregei

Common names: dwarf wild begonia, maple-leaved begonia, wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

Begonia dregei is a spectacular herbaceous, summer-flowering, shade-loving perennial that makes an excellent indoor display pot plant. It is an evergreen...

14 / 06 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Begonia geranioides

Common names: geranium-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula ilimhlophe (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

...

06 / 09 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Begonia homonyma

Common names: large-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); idlula (Zul.)

Family: Begoniaceae

A soft, fleshy perennial with a swollen stem base, red-tinged stems and white or pink flowers in summer. It is an attractive, shade garden plant and pot...

13 / 07 / 2020 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Berchemia discolor

Common names: birdplum, brown ivory (Eng.); bruinivoor, voëlpruim (Afr.); mogokgomo (Sepedi); nyiyi, nyiri (Xitsonga); motsintsila (Setswana); munie (Tshivenda), n

Family: Rhamnaceae

Birdplum or brown ivory is an attractive garden tree, with tough, yellow-brown wood that makes excellent furniture and sticks. Berchemia discolor is also...

29 / 02 / 2016 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Berchemia zeyheri

Common names: red ivorywood, purple ivory, pink ivory (Eng.); rooi-ivoor, rooihout (Afr.); monee (Sesothosa Leboa); umNeyi (siSwati); xiniyani (Xitsonga); moye (Set

Family: Rhamnaceae

The Berchemia zeyheri tree is valuable to the people, animals and birds of South Africa....

30 / 05 / 2005 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG

Bergbambos tessellata

Common names: Drakensberg bamboo, wild bamboo, African bamboo, southern mountain bamboo (Eng.); bergbamboes (Afr.); uduli, uqalo (Xho.)

Family: Poaceae

This is one of only two species of bamboo that are indigenous to South Africa. It is a small, tough bamboo that will tolerate wind and frost, preferring...

15 / 04 / 2019 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG

Bergeranthus scapiger

Common names: polvygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

A dwarf, clump-forming, water-wise succulent, with smooth, glossy leaves and branched clusters of golden-yellow flowers in winter and spring. It is grown...

13 / 01 / 2020 | Sihle Nqentsu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Berkeya barbata

Common names: coast thistle (Eng.); kus-dissel (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

A beauty to admire but painful to touch: handle with care. These sunflower-like daisies often make very attractive displays, but the thorns on the leaves,...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Berkheya griquana

Common names: East Griqualand African thistle, East Griqualand berkheya (Eng.); Griekwaland-Oos-bergdissel (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This robust yellow African Thistle flourishes in the grasslands of East Griqualand.Fig. 1. Bright yellow flower head of Berkheya griquana. ...

27 / 02 / 2023 | Kaveesha Naicker | CREW

Berkheya multijuga

Common names: spiny berg thistle, thorny mountain thistle (Eng.); doringrige-bergdissel (Afr.); mohatollo ntsoa-ntsane-ea-loti (seSotho); imboziso emhlophe, ukhakha

Family: Asteraceae

The roughness of the bright green leaves in a rosette formation makes the Berkheya multijuga irresistible to watch....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Berkheya purpurea

Common names: purple berkheya (Eng.); bloudisseldoring (Afr.); Sehlohlo (SS)

Family: Asteraceae

A prickly thistle, Berkheya purpurea turns into a surprisingly beautiful perennial when flowering in midsummer....

31 / 01 / 2005 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berkheya setifera

Common names: buffalo-tongue thistle (Eng.); rasperdissel, rasperdisseldoring (Afr); ikhakhasi, ulimi-lwenkomo, ulimi-lwenyathi (isiZulu); indlebe-lenkomo (isiXhosa

Family: Asteraceae

A robust perennial, with profuse, bright yellow flowers and bristly leaves; one of the 71 species that are found in South Africa out of the 75 species...

24 / 02 / 2020 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Bersama lucens

Common names: glossy white ash (Eng.); blinkblaarwitessenhout (Afr.); isindiyandiya (Xhosa); undiyaza (Zulu)

Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama lucens is not a common garden plant, rather a specialist specimen that still needs to be promoted in the garden fraternity....

09 / 07 / 2007 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bersama tysoniana

Common names: white ash, common white ash, common bersama, forest white ash, bitterbark, wild quinine tree (Eng.); witessenhout, gewone witessenhout, basternieshout

Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama tysoniana is an attractive tree because of its dense foliage, russet-brown new growth and knobbly fruits that split into quarters, exposing red...

30 / 07 / 2018 | Nonkululeko Ntshangase | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Berula repanda

Common names: Water parsnip

Family: Apiaceae

Berula repanda is a luxuriantly foliaged plant, ideal for a garden pond or wet patch, and it is in full flower now....

11 / 02 / 2013 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium

Berzelia abrotanoides

Common names: redlegs (Eng.); rooibeentjies, vleiknoppiesbos, kolkol, fonteinbos (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

Berzelia abrotanoides is a distinctive and beautiful, softly textured shrub endemic to the Western Cape. Displays of masses of fluffy ball-like flower...

03 / 12 / 2012 | Victoria Wilman | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Berzelia albiflora

Common names: coffee-scented berzelia, coffee bush, white-flowered brunia (Eng.); knopbossie, fonteinbossie, stompies (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

Whenever this beautiful shrub is placed on our specimen table, it is often greeted with surprise as if it has never been seen before. It is easy to overlook,...

26 / 04 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berzelia cordifolia

Common names: Potberg kolkol, heart-leaf berzelia (Eng.); kolkolbossie (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

A small, upright shrub with clusters of ball-shaped, white flower heads in spring....

09 / 01 / 2023 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berzelia lanuginosa

Common names: common button bush, common berzelia (Eng.); vleiknoppiesbos, vleikolkol, kolkolbos (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

Berzelia lanuginosa is one of twelve species in the genus Berzelia in the Bruniaceae, one of the few families that is endemic to the Cape floral kingdom...

07 / 03 / 2005 | Roger Tuckeldoe | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berzelia stokoei

Common names: red kolkol (Eng.); rooistompie (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

The striking red flowers of Berzelia stokoei are a sight to behold when walking in the tranquil mountains of the Overberg region. This plant was previously...

06 / 08 / 2007 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG

Browse through all previous entries of Plants Of The Week

Pages

Pages