Plants of the Week

Salvia chamelaeagnea

Common names: Rough Blue Sage, Bloublomsalie

Family: Lamiaceae

Members of the sage family are known worldwide as excellent herbs and beautiful garden plants. Salvia chamelaeagnea, which grows wild in the south western...

08 / 01 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Thunbergia natalensis

Common names: dwarf thunbergia, Natal blue thunbergia, Natal blue-bell (English); dwergthunbergia (Afrikaans); unohlonishwayo (Zulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

Thunbergia natalensis is a popular, fast growing garden plant. occurs naturally along forest margins, in bush and in grassland. It occurs in...

08 / 01 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Erythrina humeana

Common names: dwarf coral tree (E), kleinkoraalboom (A), umsinsana, ikati (Z), umsintsane, umsintsi, utambuki (X), umdvumbula (S), mokhupye (NS)

Family: Fabaceae

The dwarf coral tree is an ideal tree or shrub for the small garden, especially for people who love the scarlet flowers of the common coral tree (Erythrina...

15 / 01 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Agapanthus inapertus subsp. pendulus 'Graskop'

Common names: Graskop agapanthus

Family: Agapanthaceae

This striking agapanthus with its compact head of drooping, dark violet blue flowers is always commented on when first seen. The buds as they emerge seem...

15 / 01 / 2001 | Richard Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ipomoea albivenia

Common names: wild cotton (E), wildekatoen (A), imibuzana / umangfongo (Z)

Family: Convolvulaceae

Ipomoea albivenia is a vigorous perennial deciduous climber up to 10 m long, belonging to the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae)....

22 / 01 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

Wahlenbergia undulata

Common names: African bluebell, wavy-leaf bluebell, pale bluebell, African bellflower (Eng.); blouklokkie (Afr.); letoao, moepetsane, tenane (Sesotho); isibahane, u

Family: Campanulaceae

A special delight for the summer garden is Wahlenbergia undulata with its soft mauve bells dancing on long slender stems....

22 / 01 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Walter Sisulu NBG

Streptocarpus formosus

Streptocarpus in the Avenue at Kirstenbosch

Common names: Pondo streptocarpus

Family: Gesneriaceae

Walking down the Camphor Avenue at Kirstenbosch, one can not but stop to admire the clumps of Streptocarpus formosus flowering on the ground. Formosus...

29 / 01 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Crassula coccinea

Common names: red crassula (Eng.), klipblom, suikerblom (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

When hiking up Table Mountain in midsummer to find the red disa, Disa uniflora, in flower, one is sure to also see the brilliant red crassula, Crassula...

05 / 02 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Protea caffra

Common names: sugar bush (English); gewone suikerbos (Afrikaans); isiQalaba (Zulu, Xhosa)

Family: Proteaceae

The common sugar bush is one of three proteas which occur in the Witwatersrand area. ...

05 / 02 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Bauhinia galpinii

Common names: Pride of De Kaap (Eng); Vlam-van-die-Vlakte (Afr).

Family: Fabaceae

With attractive brick red flowers from December onwards this scrambling shrub is a summer delight in many gardens....

12 / 02 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Disa uniflora

Common names: pride of Table Mountain, red disa (Eng.), rooidisa (Afr.)

Family: Orchidaceae

This famous red orchid, emblem of the Western Cape, is strictly protected....

12 / 02 / 2001 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Agapanthus inapertus

Common names: Drakensberg agapanthus, drooping agapanthus (E), bloulelie (A), hlakahla (Sw)

Family: Agapanthaceae

The drooping agapanthus is an attractive, tuberous plant which occurs naturally in open grassland and on forest margins. ...

19 / 02 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

Indigofera frutescens

This plant has rose to purple flowers in lax racemes and bluish green leaves. It forms a stout, leafy shrub up to 2 m tall. It comes...

19 / 02 / 2001 | | Walter Sisulu NBG

Indigofera jucunda

Common names: river indigo, showy indigo (Eng.), rivierverfbos, pronkverfbos (Afr.), umsipane (Xhosa), umnukambiba, isiphungo (Zulu)

Family: Fabaceae

This beautiful plant has had the misfortune of being known by an incorrect name for many years, resulting in some confusion about its identity. But whether...

19 / 02 / 2001 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. katharinae

Common names: fireball lily, blood flower, katharine wheel, poison root (Eng.); bloedblom, gifwortel (Afr.); inkupulwane (isiXhosa); idunjana, ubukhoswane (isiZulu)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant explodes into flower, producing huge orange-red flower balls in mid to late summer, it's a plant for semi-shade or shade in well-watered,...

26 / 02 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Strelitzia reginae

Common names: crane flower, bird of paradise, orange strelitzia (Eng.); isigude (Nguni); kraanvoëlblom (Afr.)

Family: Strelitziaceae

Strelitzia reginae is one the most popular horticultural perennials around the world. It flowers for long periods with its vivid orange and bright...

26 / 02 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ceratotheca triloba

Common names: wild foxglove, African foxglove, false foxglove (Eng.); vingerhoedblom, wildevingerhoedjie (Afr.); ludvonca, udonqa (SiSwati); udonqa, undoncalwabathw

Family: Pedaliaceae

Ceratotheca triloba is now known as Sesamum trilobum...

05 / 03 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cunonia capensis

Common names: red alder, butterspoon tree (English); rooiels (Afrikaans); umqwashube (Xhosa); umlulama (Zulu)

Family: Cunoniaceae

Cunonia capensis is a beautiful evergreen garden tree which attracts insects to its flowers....

05 / 03 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Aloe reitzii var. reitzii

Common names: Reitz' aloe

Family: Asphodelaceae

Although it is a rather rare species of aloe, it is easily distinguished by the handsome erect red flower spikes that are produced in summer (unlike most...

12 / 03 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Amaryllis belladonna

Common names: belladonna lily, March lily, naked lady (Eng.); Maartblom, Maartlelie, belladonnalelie (Afr.)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

The flowering stems of this bulb emerging from the bare ground is a sign that summer is coming to an end in the Cape....

12 / 03 / 2001 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG

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