Plants of the Week

Browse through all previous entries of Plants Of The Week

  • Sort by date added
  • Sort Alphabetically
Go to Plants of the Week Advanced Search
E.g., 03/01/2025
E.g., 03/01/2025

Diospyros scabrida var. cordata

Foliage showing red new growth
Common names: Hard-leaved monkey plum; blinkblaar,hardeblaartolbos (Afr.)
Family: Ebenaceae

This lovely little tree has three outstanding features to recommend it; its compact growth habit, its gorgeous glossy foliage and its unusual balloon fruit...

22 / 09 / 2014 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Isolepis

Isolepsis antartica. Photo: C Stirton
Common names: Sedges (Eng); madzhesi (Tshivenda)
Family: Cyperaceae

The genus Isolepis R.Br. comprises about 76 species. Members in the genus Isolepis mostly occur in the temperate regions of the southern...

15 / 09 / 2014 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
Read More

Caputia scaposa

Flowers of Caputia scaposa var.scaposa
Common names: small caputia (Eng.); kleintontelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This is a short, drought tolerant, succulent shrublet, belonging to the daisy family (Asteraceae), with showy, spreading leaves in a central rosette and...

15 / 09 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Oldenburgia paradoxa

Oldenburgia paradoxa
Common names: cliff cushion bush (Eng.); klipkreupelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Oldenburgia paradoxa is an unusual cushion-shaped species of the daisy family that grows on rocks in the Cape mountains and looks like an alpine plant....

08 / 09 / 2014 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Antidesma venosum

Antidesma venosum in fruit (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Tasselberry (Eng.), Voëlsitboom, Tosselbessie (Afr.); isiBangamlotha, Isiqutwane, Umhlabahlungulu, Umhlalanyoni (isiZulu); modulane (Northern Sotho),
Family: Phyllanthaceae

This is an evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub or small tree with a dense, rounded crown, flowers in long, thin catkins that attract insects and insect-eating...

08 / 09 / 2014 | Sifiso Mnxati | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
Read More

Wahlenbergia cuspidata

Plant in flower
Common names: None recorded
Family: Campanulaceae

Wahlenbergia cuspidata is a bushy, perennial herb with large, showy, cup-shaped flowers, from summer-rainfall regions of South Africa....

01 / 09 / 2014 | C Cupido | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Leucadendron eucalyptifolium

Male and female flower heads
Common names: gum-leaf conebush, tall conebush (English), grootgeelbos, geelbos (Afrikaans)
Family: Proteaceae

Leucadendron eucalyptifolium is a decorative, fast-growing fynbos shrub that turns bright yellow in winter-spring....

01 / 09 / 2014 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria fasciflora

Flowers
Common names: common pin spiderhead; speldespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria fasciflora is a beautiful shrublet that produces sweetly scented, silvery pink flowers all year round; definitely a very rewarding garden...

25 / 08 / 2014 | Phumza Bavuma | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Barleria ovata

Flower
Common names: grassland barleria (Eng.); iningizimebomvu (isiZulu)
Family: Acanthaceae

This barleria has pretty flowers which change colour and it resprouts from a woody rootstock after fire....

25 / 08 / 2014 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
Read More

Senecio barbertonicus

Flowerhead
Common names: succulent bush senecio, Barberton senecio, Barberton groundsel, Barberton coltsfoot, lemon bean bush, finger-leaved senecio
Family: Asteraceae

When everything else seems dead and dry on the Highveld, this plant flowers in abundance. The deep yellow flowers are sought after by many insects during...

18 / 08 / 2014 | Cynthia Mikateko Baloyi | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Ruschia spinosa

Ruschia spinosa, with spines sticking out.
Common names: thorny vygie, spiny ruschia (Eng.); doringvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

If one is looking for a striking waterwise plant for a Karoo garden or a desert garden, look no further than this spinescent succulent shrub with beautiful...

18 / 08 / 2014 | Hannelie Snyman | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Terminalia phanerophlebia

Fruits (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Lebombo cluster-leaf (Eng.); Lebombotrosblaar (Afr.); amaNgwe-amnyama, amaNgwe-omphofu (isiZulu); mambonjwane (SiSwati)
Family: Combretaceae

A decorative shrub to small tree with a hard, heavy brown wood. It is an ideal tree for street planting....

11 / 08 / 2014 | F Nonyane | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Caputia oribiensis

Caputia oribiensis
Common names: Oribi Gorge caputia (Eng.); Oribi-tontelbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Caputia oribiensis is an ascending, sparsely branched, drought tolerant, succulent shrublet, belonging to the daisy family (Asteraceae), with showy,...

11 / 08 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Wardia hygrometrica

Wardia hygrometrica (Jonathan Sleath)
Common names: Ward's moss
Family: Wardiaceae

Wardia hygrometrica is an aquatic moss restricted to the mountains of the Western Cape. It belongs to the Wardiaceae, the only endemic moss family in...

04 / 08 / 2014 | Jacques van Rooy | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Faucaria tigrina

Faucaria tigrina -tiger jaw
Common names: tiger-jaws, shark-jaws (Eng.); tierbekvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

This somewhat ferocious-looking succulent gets its name, tiger-jaws, from the appearance of the toothed, triangular shaped leaves which seem to drip with...

04 / 08 / 2014 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii
Common names: Waterberg cycad (Eng.); bergpalm, waterberg-broodboom (Afr.); mofaka (Sepedi)
Family: Zamiaceae

This is a medium-sized to large, bluish-green cycad, which is suited to cool subtropical and temperate regions....

28 / 07 / 2014 | K w Sepheka | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Agathosma thymifolia

Flowers
Common names: limestone buchu, thyme-leaf buchu (Eng.) kalk boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

This bushy shrub colours the veld in hues of pink and mauve during winter. It is a must-have for sandy coastal fynbos gardens....

28 / 07 / 2014 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Strumaria phonolithica

Plant in flower
Common names: none known
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Strumaria phonolithica is a rare and interesting autumn- and early winter-flowering bulb endemic to southwestern Namibia. Its ornamental leaf fans and...

21 / 07 / 2014 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Pelargonium alternans

Plant in flower
Common names: blomkoolmalva, koolmalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

The compact growth of the blomkoolmalva makes it an ideal specimen for a bonsai....

21 / 07 / 2014 | Lize Wolfaardt | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More

Mesembryanthemum varians

Plant in flower
Common names: salt mesemb, skeleton plant (English); soutvygie (Afrikaans)
Family: Aizoaceae

Mesembryanthemum varians was previously known as Sceletium varians. It is known to have few medicinal properties —  unlike Mesembryathemum...

14 / 07 / 2014 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
Read More