Plants of the Week

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

Clivia mirabilis

Clivia mirabilis
Common names: miracle clivia
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The discovery in the Nieuwoudtville area of the Northern Cape of a most unusual new Clivia species, Clivia mirabilis, caused much excitement in the botanical...

20 / 05 / 2002 | Nicky Malcolm | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos woodii

Encephalartos woodii at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Wood's Cycad (Eng.); Wood-se-broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos woodii is famous for being extinct in nature, and for the fact that there is no known female specimen on Earth....

20 / 05 / 2002 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diascia rigescens

Diascia rigescens
Common names: twinspur, bride's saddle
Family: Scrophulariaceae

This attractive, dainty South African perennial will do well in temperate gardens around the world. Easy to grow and long-flowering, this is an ideal plant...

20 / 05 / 2002 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Syzygium pondoense

Flowers of Syzygium pondoense
Common names: Pondo Waterwood, Pondowaterhout (A) umdoni wehlathi (Z)
Family: Myrtaceae

This attractive small tree is rare in nature. But it has great horticultural potential, despite its tongue twister of a name which is pronounced sigh-zig-ee-um...

13 / 05 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Podocarpus henkelii

20 years old specimen in Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: Henkel's Yellowwood (Eng), Henkel-se geelhout (Afr), UmSonti (Zulu)
Family: Podocarpaceae

This is one of the most beautiful and decorative of our indigenous conifers, a tree that any plant enthusiast would be proud to have in their garden. With...

13 / 05 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Strumaria truncata

Strumaria truncata
Common names: Namaqualand snowflake
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Strumaria truncata is a charming bulbous plant, little known and unusual in cultivation....

06 / 05 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Buxus macowanii

Buxus macowanii
Common names: African box, Cape box, small-leaved box (Eng.), buig-my-nie, Afrikaansebuksboom, Kaapsebuksboom, kleinblaarbuksboom (Afr.), igalagala (isiXhosa), umga
Family: Buxaceae

A small, very slow-growing tree with a clean slender stem and a dense crown of shiny green leaves; it is a good pot plant, can be clipped and trained into...

06 / 05 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu 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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Mimetes chrysanthus

Mimetes chrysanthus: Photo: Cape Nature Conservation
Common names: golden pagoda, golden mimetes, gouestompie
Family: Proteaceae

The genus Mimetes is one of the most beautiful of the protea family and indeed in the whole of the Cape Floral Kingdom. ...

29 / 04 / 2002 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Plectranthus fruticosus 'James'

Beds of Plectranthus fruticosus 'James'
Common names: Pink Spur Flower (E), Muishondblaar (A), Vlieëbos (A)
Family: Lamiaceae

Walking up the Camphor Avenue at Kirstenbosch during autumn it is difficult to miss the striking pink beds of Plectranthus fruticosus 'James'.Beds...

22 / 04 / 2002 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dovyalis zeyheri

Cythna Letty illustration in Flowering Plants of Africa.
Common names: wild apricot (E), wilde-appelkoos (A), umNyazuma (Z), umQokokolo (X), morethema (NS)
Family: Salicaceae

This is a tree with a most unusual and apparently unexplained feature. At certain times of the year the leaves emit a smell resembling that of carrion....

22 / 04 / 2002 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Nerine sarniensis

Nerine sarniensis
Common names: Guernsey lily, red nerine (Eng.); berglelie, nerina (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Nerine sarniensis is widely considered to be the most beautiful of all the nerines....

15 / 04 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cassinopsis ilicifolia

Cassinopsis ilicifolia in fruit
Common names: Lemon Thorn (English), Lemoentjiedoring (Afrikaans), iMamba eluhlaza (Zulu), iCegceya (Xhosa)
Family: Icacinaceae
15 / 04 / 2002 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Thamnochortus fraternus

Thamnochortus fratenus
Common names: dune thatching reed
Family: Restionaceae

This is a striking and attractive grass-like member of the large restio family. The plants are very uniform in height and the floral bracts are a rich...

08 / 04 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Rhamnus prinoides

Rhamnus prinoides
Common names: African Dogwood, Camdeboo Stinkwood, Glossy-leaf (E), Blinkblaar, Camdeboostinkhout (A); umGlindi, Umlindi (X); umGilindi, uNyenye, umHlinye (Z); liNy
Family: Rhamnaceae

The African dogwood is a very attractive dense shrub or a small tree with glossy foliage and decorative red berries....

08 / 04 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Vachellia xanthophloea

Acacia xanthophloea
Common names: Fever tree (English), Koorsboom (Afrikaans), mooka-kwena (Northern Sotho), umHlosinga (Zulu), nkelenga (Tsonga), munzhelenga (Venda).
Family: Fabaceae

The fever tree is an attractive, semi-deciduous to deciduous tree approximately 15 to 25 meters tall and has an open, rounded to spreading or flattish...

01 / 04 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Lithops optica

Lithops optica
Common names: Lüderitz Living Stone, Lüderitz Stone Plant, Lüderitz Beeskloutjie
Family: Aizoaceae

Lithops are probably the most well known and popular member of the large succulent plant family, the Aizoaceae. They are commonly called living stones...

01 / 04 / 2002 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Clematis brachiata

Clematis brachiata
Common names: traveller's joy, old man's beard, wild clematis; klimop, lemoenbloeisels (Afr.); ityolo (isiXhosa); morara (S); mogau (T); umdlonzo (isiZulu)
Family: Ranunculaceae

...

25 / 03 / 2002 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Blechnum tabulare

 Young Blechnum tabulare
Common names: mountain deer fern, mountain blechnum, false tree fern (Eng.); valsboomvaring (Afr.)
Family: Blechnaceae

This is a large attractive fern for the shady garden....

25 / 03 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Plectranthus saccatus

Plectranthus saccatus
Common names: stoep jacaranda, porch jacaranda (Eng.); stoepjakaranda, sak-spoorsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

This is one of the more popular and well-known of the Plectranthus or spurflowers. It is known for its pretty flowers which are larger than those...

18 / 03 / 2002 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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