Plants of the Week

Trichodiadema pygmaeum

Common names: for the genus : kareemoer vygie, perdevygie, donkievygie, doringkroon vygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Trichodiadema pygmaeum is a lovely dwarf succulent shrub with pretty pink flowers and hairy leaves. It is suitable for growing in a rockery and since...

25 / 01 / 2010 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Burkea africana

Common names: wild seringa (Eng.); wildesering (Afr.); mpulu (Tsonga), monato (Tswana); monatô (Northern Sotho); mufhulu (Venda)

Family: Fabaceae

An attractive, medium-sized, flat-topped tree, difficult to grow and not yet produced on a commercial scale....

25 / 01 / 2010 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria

Erica baccans

Common names: berry heath (Eng.); bessieheide (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

Erica baccans is a well-known, showy species that produces bright, cherry-pink splashes of colour on the middle to lower slopes of the Cape Peninsula....

18 / 01 / 2010 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bridelia micrantha

Common names: mitseeri, bruin stinkhout (Afr.); motsere (Sotho); ndzerhe (Tswana)

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Beautiful, fast growing shade tree, usually with scattered bright red leaves....

18 / 01 / 2010 | Alec Naidoo | Pretoria NBG

Pavetta cooperi

Common names: Christmas bush, pompon bride's bush (Eng.); pomponbruidsbos, kers(mis)bos (Afr.); luphehlwane (Siswati); is-Anywana (Zulu).

Family: Rubiaceae

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11 / 01 / 2010 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Orbea lutea

Common names: yellow carrion flower (Eng.); geelaasblom, ghaap, gwaap, aasblom, kopseerblom, slang-gwaap (Afr.).

Family: Apocynaceae

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11 / 01 / 2010 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Gomphocarpus physocarpus

Common names: balloon milkweed, balloon wild cotton, hairy balls, bindweed (Eng.); balmelkbossie, balbossie, wilde kapok (Afr.); umbababa, umbemiso, umangwazane, um

Family: Apocynaceae

Gomphocarpus physocarpus has striking yellowish, ball-like fruits and is an excellent butterfly plant, but it is poisonous if ingested; so keep it...

04 / 01 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Schrebera alata

Common names: wild jasmine, wing-leafed wooden pear, (Eng.); wildejasmyn, houtpeer (Afr.); mulungwi (Venda); umGwenye-hlangula (Xhosa); umGwenya-hlungulu, umSishane

Family: Oleaceae

Wild jasmine anoints your garden with a pleasant, sweet-scented fragrance and glorifies it with white to dark pinkish red flowers during the summer season....

04 / 01 / 2010 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Pelargonium papilionaceum

Common names: butterfly pelargonium (Eng.); rambossie (Afr.)

Family: Geraniaceae

A pelargonium worth growing in shady places in your garden....

27 / 12 / 2009 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch 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

Oxalis purpurea

Common names: grand duchess sorrel (Eng.); suuring (Afr.)

Family: Oxalidaceae

A common but undervalued South African native plant, Oxalis purpurea can make a most magnificent garden plant that flowers for half the year....

21 / 12 / 2009 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG

Oscularia caulescens

Common names: dassievygie, sandsteenvygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Oscularia caulescens is an easy-to-grow succulent groundcover, ideal as an accent plant in especially rockeries or pots and for low-maintenance and water-wise...

21 / 12 / 2009 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium

Turnera oculata var. oculata

Common names: Namib Turnera

Family: Turneraceae

The Namib Turnera has striking yellow flowers with a conspicuous dark centre and occurs in Kaokoveld in the Namib Desert in northern Namibia and in southern...

14 / 12 / 2009 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Philenoptera violacea

Common names: apple-leaf (Eng.); appelblaar (Afr.); umBhandu, umPhanda, isiHomohomo (isiZulu)

Family: Fabaceae

The wood of this attractive, hard, frost-sensitive "rain-tree" makes a stunning ornamental display....

14 / 12 / 2009 | Sifiso Mnxati | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Pterolobium stellatum

Common names: red-wing (Eng.); rooivlerk (Afr.); gwambazi or luanakha (Tshivenda)

Family: Fabaceae

Pterolobium stellatum is a tall, scrambling or climbing shrub with woody rope-like stems....

07 / 12 / 2009 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Leucospermum formosum

Common names: silver-leaf wheel-pincushion

Family: Proteaceae

Leucospermum formosum has spectacular bright yellow spring flowers that look like a Catherine wheel firework frozen in mid spin. ...

07 / 12 / 2009 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Leucospermum conocarpodendron subsp. viridum

Common names: green tree pincushion, hairless tree pincushion, yellow pincushion (Eng.); groenkreupelhout, kreupelboom, goudboom, brandhoutboom (Afr.) (Previously k

Family: Proteaceae

The largest of the pincushion group of proteas, the green tree pincushion is absolutely spectacular when in flower. The large rounded bushes are then covered...

30 / 11 / 2009 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG

Gasteria glauca

Common names: Kouga River gasteria (Eng.); Kouga-beestong (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria glauca is a small aloe-like plant with highly succulent, glaucous (grey-green) leaves arranged in a dense rosette. It grows on cliff faces...

30 / 11 / 2009 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG