Plants of the Week

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E.g., 21/12/2024
E.g., 21/12/2024

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Cyrtanthus breviflorus flowering after fire
Common names: yellow fire lily, wild crocus (Eng.); geelvuurlelie, wildekrokus (Afr.); umpimpilizi (SiSwati); injobo, uvelabahleke (isiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Yellow fire lily is a small grassland bulb from the amaryllis family, with bright yellow flowers all year round. It grows naturally in moist or dry grasslands...

14 / 08 / 2023 | Itumeleng Machete | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Cyrtanthus elatus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: George lily, Scarborough lily (Eng.); george-lelie, knysna-lelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus elatus is a bulbous plant from the fynbos, with spectacular, scarlet, deep red, rose-pink or rarely, white blooms, which appear from late spring...

29 / 03 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus falcatus

Flower of Cyrtanthus falcatus
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful cyrtanthus with its curious 'shepherd's crook' flower stem and long arching leaves is very easily cultivated and deserves to...

13 / 09 / 2004 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus flammosus

Cyrtanthus flammosus growing in habitat
Common names: Kouga flame lily (Eng.); Kouga-vlamlelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This exciting ornamental bulbous plant with its large solitary orange-red flower is only known from the cliffs along the Kouga River and adjacent territory...

22 / 07 / 2013 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus herrei

Cyrthanthus herrei
Common names: Richtersveld cyrtanthus
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This striking bulb comes from arid parts of southern Africa....

23 / 07 / 2007 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Cyrtanthus leucanthus

Cyrtanthus leucanthus
Common names: white fire lily (Eng.); witbergpypie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus leucanthus, stimulated to flower by fire, is a threatened species of the largest African genus in the Amaryllidaceae family....

12 / 03 / 2012 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Cyrtanthus mackenii

Ifafa lilies
Common names: ifafa Lily
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This charming, sweetly scented bulb is long-flowering and easy to cultivate. It belongs to the genus Cyrtanthus which contains many beautiful species.Cyrtanthus...

22 / 07 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus macmasteri

C.macmasteri.  Image Cameron MacMaster
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus macmasteri was described in 2003 after being found in 1994 by naturalist Cameron McMaster at the Bolo River Gorge in the Eastern Cape....

09 / 10 / 2006 | Suvarna Parbhoo | Pretoria NBG
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Cyrtanthus obliquus

Cyrtanthus obliquus flowers
Common names: Knysna lily (Eng.); Knysnalelie (Afr.); Umathaga (IsiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus obliquus is a very attractive evergreen species, with its large pendulous flowers and grey-green leaves. It would be a welcome addition...

26 / 10 / 2009 | Lufuno Konanani | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Cyrtanthus sanguineus

Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Common names: Kei lily, Inanda lily, Nahoon lily, large red cyrtanthus, fire lily (Eng.), Keilelie, vuurlelie (Afr.), isilawu esimhlophe (isiXhosa).
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Kei lily is a bulbous plant that forms clumps of strappy leaves. It does well as a bedding plant in light shade, providing colour to any dull flower bed...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
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Cyrtanthus ventricosus

Flowers. Photo Colin Paterson Jones
Common names: fire lily; brandlelie (Afrikaans)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant, a true fire lily, defies the elements by producing its beautiful, salmon to scarlet blooms just nine days after the seemingly destructive effects...

07 / 10 / 2013 | D Snijman | Compton Herbarium
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Dais cotinifolia

Dais cotinifolia at Kirstenbosch
Common names: pompon tree, pincushion tree (Eng.), kannabas, speldekussing, basboom (Afr.), intozani (Xhosa); intozwane-emnyama (Zulu)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

The pompon tree is one of the best known and well-loved indigenous trees, tough enough to be used as a street tree and small enough to fit into most gardens....

25 / 12 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dalbergia armata

Dalbergia armata (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: thorny-rope, flat-bean, Hluhluwe climber (Eng.); doringtou (Afr.); umhluhluwe, uthathawe (isiZulu); omqokolo, ubobo, umzungulu (isiXhosa); sehlokootsw
Family: Fabaceae

Dalbergia armata has attractive acacia-like leaves and makes an excellent bonsai tree. It is a rather distinct climber, with stout thorns and it is a member...

04 / 06 / 2018 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dalbergia melanoxylon

Dalbergia melanoxylon
Common names: zebra wood, African blackwood, African ebony (Eng.), sebrahout, swartdriedoring, driedoringebbehout (Afr.), isparati, mpingo (Swati), mogôrôgôrô (
Family: Fabaceae

A beautiful, small, spiny tree, with fragrant, white, pea-like flowers in dense clusters in early summer; it also produces attractive purple-black heartwood...

23 / 12 / 2019 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Dalbergia obovata

Fruits of D.obovata.Photo G Nichols
Common names: climbing flat bean (Eng.); bobbejaankoudoring, rankplatboontjie (Afr.); udukuduku, isibandhlube, uphandlazi (Zulu); umzungu, umzungulu (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

...

18 / 12 / 2006 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Daubenya aurea

Daubenya aurea
Common names: none recorded.
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Although it is dormant during summer and autumn and has a very narrow distribution area, this extraordinary, beautiful member of the Hyacinth family is...

13 / 01 / 2014 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Deinbollia oblongifolia

Deinbollia oblongifolia
Common names: dune soapberry (Eng.); duineseepbessie (Afr.); iqinisamasimu, igolo-lenkawu, iphengulula, umuthi-wezithutha, maqinisa, intisamasimu (Zul.); umasibele,
Family: Sapindaceae

Deinbollia oblongifolia is a shrub or small tree with masses of pale yellow fruits during the winter months; it is an excellent plant to feed garden wildlife,...

27 / 07 / 2009 | Alec Naidoo | Pretoria NBG
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Delosperma

Delosperma cooperi
Common names: Afrikaans names of species: D. carolinense, D. vogtsii : klipvygie, rotsvygie; D. floribundum : skaapvygie; D. herbeum : witbergvygie; D. macellum : r
Family: Aizoaceae

This predominantly summer rainfall genus has long been overlooked as a garden plant. Growth forms vary vastly and showy flowers are produced over long...

17 / 10 / 2005 | P Burgoyne | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Delosperma abbottii

Delosperma abbottii
Common names: Pondoland cliff-delosperma (Eng.); Pondokransvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A cliff-dwelling, mat-forming, mesemb with yellow to magenta flowers in summer, known only from sandstone cliffs in the Pondoland region, in the Eastern...

03 / 10 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Delosperma frutescens

Delosperma frutescens in flower
Common names: dwarf tree mesemb, shrubby delosperma (Eng.); dwerg-boomvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

The dwarf tree mesemb is a long-lived, slow-growing, ascending, much branched, tree-shaped mesemb with greyish, smooth stems, succulent greyish-green leaves...

18 / 03 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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