Plants of the Week

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E.g., 09/12/2024
E.g., 09/12/2024

Serruria rosea

Serruria rosea flower heads
Common names: rose spiderhead, bridesmaid spiderhead (Eng.); strooimeisie, bruidsbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria rosea is one of the showiest spiderheads, producing a spectacular display of up to 20 rose-pink tightly clustered flower heads per stem....

23 / 08 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria trilopha

Serruria trilopha
Common names: trident spiderhead, sand spiderhead, snake-stem spiderhead, three-crested spiderhead (Eng.); slangspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered member of the protea family makes an unusual addition to sandy coastal gardens....

13 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria triternata

Serruria triternata flowerheads and foliage
Common names: Tulbagh spiderhead, dill-leaf serruria (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

The Tulbagh spiderhead is a charming fynbos shrub suited to an informal indigenous garden. It is rather nondescript when not flowering but in spring time...

22 / 08 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria villosa

Serruria villosa
Common names: golden spiderhead, valley spiderhead (Eng.); gouespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria villosa is a charming sweetly scented shrublet suited to the wild fynbos garden....

16 / 04 / 2012 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria zeyheri

Serruria zeyheri
Common names: matchstick spiderhead (Eng.); vuurhoutjiespinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A rarely seen, rounded shrub with impressive, loosely aggregated flowerheads made up of flowers that look like matchsticks before they open....

20 / 06 / 2022 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sesamum eriocarpum

Dicerocaryum eriocarpum (Nicola van Berkel, iSpot)
Common names: devil’s thorn (Eng.); beesdubbeltjie, duiwelsdoring, seepbos (Afr.); intekelane (Ndebele); makanagwe (Tswana)
Family: Pedaliaceae

Sesamum eriocarpum is a perennial herb which creeps along the ground in the Kalahari, with beautiful, bright mauve flowers that magnificently compliment...

30 / 01 / 2017 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sesamum saxicola

Sesamum saxicola
Common names: rock foxglove (Eng.); rotsvingerhoedblom (Afr.)
Family: Pedaliaceae

With the Soutpansberg in the extreme north eastern Venda and Kruger National Park being its only home, Sesamum saxicola grows in sandstone crevices, overhanging...

25 / 09 / 2023 | Ntsakisi Masia | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Sesamum senecioides

Dicerocaryum senecioides
Common names: devil’s thorn, boot protectors, stud plant (Eng.); elandsdoring (Afr.); museto (Tshivenda)
Family: Pedaliaceae

A prostrate perennial, with annual creeping stems and white to pinkish flowers. It takes over open spaces in grassland and it is used as substitute for...

10 / 05 / 2021 | Meshack Nethavhani | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Sesamum sp. aff. reniforme

Flowers with seed capsule forming © P Winter
Common names: Limpopo foxglove
Family: Pedaliaceae

One of several previously undocumented species in the dry savanna of Limpopo Province, the Limpopo foxglove yearns for the bit of limelight it surely deserves....

19 / 09 / 2005 | Pieter Winter | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sesamum trilobum

Sesamum trilobum growing in Kirstenbosch
Common names: wild foxglove, African foxglove, false foxglove (Eng.); vingerhoedblom, wildevingerhoedjie (Afr.); ludvonca, udonqa (SiSwati); udonqa, undoncalwabathw
Family: Pedaliaceae

Flowering during the warm summer and into autumn, this tall elegant annual adds a cool and lush feeling to the garden. In nature they are commonly found...

21 / 09 / 2023 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Setaria megaphylla

Setaria megaphylla
Common names: ribbon grass, broad-leafed bristle grass
Family: Poaceae

Setaria megaphylla may be found along rivers in low-lying areas or forests and in dense bushveld where there is plenty of moisture. ...

29 / 04 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Setaria verticillata

Setaria verticillata
Common names: bristly foxtail grass, bur bristlegrass, cat’s tails, klits setaria, love grass (Eng.); kat(te)stert(gras), klawergras, kleefgras, klitsgras, steekg
Family: Poaceae

Setaria verticillata is a species of grass known by the common name, bur bristlegrass. It is easily distinguished from other Setaria species by retrorsely...

14 / 05 / 2018 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sida

Sida cordifolia
Common names: fanpetals, mallows, sidas (Eng.)
Family: Malvaceae

Sida’s weed-like habit and small flowers keep it away from the popularity enjoyed by its tropical splendour relative, the Hibiscus. The attraction...

26 / 02 / 2018 | Sushant Sharma | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Sideroxylon inerme

Foliage and flower buds  of Sideroxylon inerme
Common names: white milkwood ( Eng. ); witmelkhout, melkhoutboom, melkbessie (Afr.); aMasethole, umQwashu (Xhosa); aMasethole-amhlope, uMakhwela-fingqane (Zulu)
Family: Sapotaceae

...

26 / 06 / 2006 | Freddie Bosman | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Silene undulata

Silene undulata © Tony Dold
Common names: dream root, gun powder plant, campion (Eng.); unozitholana, ubulawu, undlela zimhlophe (isiXhosa); kleinwildetabak (Afr.)
Family: Caryophyllaceae

This small herb is used as a 'dream plant'....

30 / 09 / 2013 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Siphonochilus aethiopicus

Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Common names: Natal ginger, Wild ginger (English); Wildegemmer (Afrikaans); indungulo, isiphephetho (Zulu)
Family: Zingiberaceae

...

11 / 03 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Smicrostigma viride

Smicrostigma viride
Common names: no common names known
Family: Aizoaceae

This neat attractive succulent shrublet will make a great addition to a water-wise garden....

05 / 10 / 2015 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Solanum aculeastrum

Solanum acueleastrum
Common names: goat bitter-apple, bitter-apple, goat apple, poison apple (Eng.); bok-bitterappel, bitterappel, bokappel, gifappel (Afr.); thola (Tswana); murulwa (Ve
Family: Solanaceae

...

01 / 03 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Solanum africanum

Solanum africanum
Common names: dune nightshade, drunken berry, drunken rope (Eng.); dronkbessie, dronktou (Afr.)
Family: Solanaceae

A hardy creeper or shrub, with yellow-centered, purple, mauve or white flowers in midsummer to spring. It can be successfully utilized to cover a trellis...

16 / 09 / 2019 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Solanum giganteum

Berries of Solanum giganteum
Common names: healing-leaf tree, giant bitter-apple, red bitter-apple, red bitter-berry, thorny bug-tree (Eng.); geneesblaarboom, grootbitterappel, rooibitterbessie
Family: Solanaceae

This big shrub with its colourful, long-lasting berries and large leaves with silvery undersides, makes an unusual hedge or background plant....

19 / 01 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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