Plants of the Week

Blechnum tabulare

Common names: mountain deer fern, mountain blechnum, false tree fern (Eng.); valsboomvaring (Afr.)

Family: Blechnaceae

This is a large attractive fern for the shady garden....

25 / 03 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG

Blighia unijugata

Clusers of bright pink to red, leathery, pear-shaped capsules.

Common names: triangle-tops (Eng.); driehoektolletjies (Afr.); musadema (Shona); umdlaguva (isiZulu)

Family: Sapindaceae

A medium to large evergreen tree, with sweetly scented flowers that attract butterflies to the garden, followed by pink to red, pear-shaped fruit that...

11 / 07 / 2016 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Bolboschoenus maritimus

Common names: alkali bullrush (Eng.); snygras, snyruigte (Afr.)

Family: Cyperaceae

...

06 / 03 / 2006 | Victoria Wilman | Working For Wetlands

Bolusanthus speciosus

Common names: tree wisteria; Vanwykshout (Afr.); mogaba (Northern Sotho); umHolo (Zulu) National tree list no.: 222

Family: Fabaceae

The tree wisteria is certainly one of the most spectacular of our indigenous trees when in flower, mimicking the splendour of the jacaranda, which unfortunately...

05 / 05 / 2003 | Nick Klapwijk | Pretoria NBG

Bonatea speciosa

Common names: green wood orchid (Eng.); moederkappie, Oktoberlelie (Afr.)

Family: Orchidaceae

Bonatea speciosa, a terrestrial orchid, is admired for its delicate, somewhat bizarre, green and white flowers. It is also comparatively easy to grow...

05 / 12 / 2005 | H Kurzweil | Compton Herbarium

Boophone disticha

Common names: century plant, poison bulb, sore-eye flower (Eng.); gifbol, seeroogblom, kopseerblom, boesmangif, perdespook (Afr.); kxutsana-yanaha, motlatsisa (So.S

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Wherever you live in South Africa, in a summer- or winter-rainfall region, along the coast or in a semi-arid area, try Boophone disticha in your garden,...

22 / 08 / 2005 | E Lithudzha | Pretoria NBG

Boophone haemanthoides

Common names: Namaqua century plant (Eng.); gifbol, kwaslelie(Afr.)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Boophone haemanthoides is a summer-flowering geophyte growing up to 500 mm tall. It looks very much like a primitive plant with at least two thirds of...

28 / 02 / 2011 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Boraginaceae

Common names: forget-me-not, borage family Class: Angiospermae: Dicotyledones

Family: Boraginaceae

Members of the family Boraginaceae are herbs, shrubs or trees, characterized by leaves with rough hairs, inflorescences sometimes coiled at their tips,...

23 / 08 / 2004 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria

Boscia albitrunca

Common names: shepherd's tree (Eng.); witgat (Afr.); siPhiso (Sw), Mohlôpi (Northern Sotho); Xukutsi (Tswana); Muthobi (Venda)

Family: Brassicaceae

The shepherd's tree is the most common of the eight species in its genus and is usually found in the drier parts of southern Africa. It is often called...

08 / 08 / 2005 | Marcini Govender | National Herbarium Pretoria

Bowiea gariepensis

Common names: white-flowering bowiea, white bowiea, Gariep bowiea (Eng.); lopertjie (Afr.)

Family: Asparagaceae

Bowiea gariepensis is a summer-deciduous bulbous plant from the lower Orange River Valley in the Northern Cape and southern Namibia, growing singly or...

15 / 05 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bowiea volubilis

Common names: climbing onion, climbing green lily, bowiea (Eng.); knolklimop (Af.); ugibisisila; iguleni (isiZulu); umgaqana (isiXhosa); gibizisila (siSwati)

Family: Asparagaceae

Bowiea volubilis subsp volubilis has an unusual succulent adaptation - climbing inflorescences that harvest photosynthetic light in the absence of aerial...

14 / 03 / 2011 | Suvarna Parbhoo | CREW

Bowkeria citrina

Common names: yellow shell-flower bush (Eng.); geelskulpblombos (Afr.)

Family: Stilbaceae

The wonderful display of the bright yellow flowers, the fragrance of the leaves and the polished brown fruit of Bowkeria citrina, make this beautiful...

09 / 06 / 2008 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Bowkeria cymosa

Common names: northern shellflower, escarpment shellflower (Eng.); noordelike skulpblombos, platorand-skulpblombos (Afr.); luchwimi (Siswati)

Family: Stilbaceae

A bushy shrub or small tree for sun or semi-shade, with dark green foliage and sprays of unusual, shell-like, white flowers in summer; a good backdrop...

04 / 09 / 2017 | Tumelo Mofokeng | Pretoria NBG

Bowkeria verticillata

Common names: Southern Shell-flower, Natal Shell-flower Bush (Eng.); Suidelike Skulpblombos, Natalse Skulpblombos (Afr.); umBaba, isiPhambathi (Zulu); isiDuli, iGqa

Family: Stilbaceae

A decorative shrub that can be used to landscape your garden, with softy quilted leaves and pure white, scented flowers....

27 / 12 / 2009 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Brabejum stellatifolium

Common names: bitteramandel, wild almond, wilde-amandel, ghoeboontjie, ghoekoffie

Family: Proteaceae

This tree is famous in South Africa for being used to make Van Riebeeck's Hedge, the first formal boundary marker between the new Cape colony and the...

08 / 09 / 2003 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Brachiaria serrata

Common names: red top grass, velvet signal (Eng.) ; rooisinjaalgras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

Brachiaria serrata is a perennial grass with bright green leaves and red or purplish-red spikelets covered in silky hairs....

12 / 05 / 2008 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Brachycorythis conica subsp. transvaalensis

Common names: Albertina Sisulu Orchid

Family: Orchidaceae

This beautiful and enigmatic orchid was first recorded in 1918; it was last seen in the Gauteng Province in 1956, until its rediscovery in 2007. This species...

04 / 04 / 2016 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Brachylaena discolor

Common names: Coast silver oak (E), Kusvaalbos (Afr.), Phahla (isiZulu), Mphahla (N.Sotho), umPhahla (isiXhosa)

Family: Asteraceae

...

06 / 01 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Brachylaena elliptica

Common names: bitterleaf, bitterleaved silver-oak, fire-sticks (Eng.); bitterblaar, suurbos (Afr); isiduli; isagqeba, umphahla (IsiXhosa); isiduli-ehlathi, igqeba-e

Family: Asteraceae

This is an attractive small tree or large shrub with interesting aromatic, dark green foliage with greyish silver undersides....

19 / 12 / 2016 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Brachylaena glabra

Common names: malbar, malabar silver-oak (Eng.); malbarboom, malblaar (Afr.); umphahla-wehlathi, amacirha (Xhosa); umphahla (Zulu)

Family: Asteraceae

A member of the Aster family, Brachylaena glabra is a lovely medium-sized tree with a spreading crown and heads of small, white flowers....

10 / 02 / 2020 | Siphesihle Precious Sibiya | Kirstenbosch NBG

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