Plants of the Week

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E.g., 09/11/2024
E.g., 09/11/2024

Babiana montana

Babiana montana
Common names: Agulhas baboon flower (Eng.); bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Babiana montana is a perennial plant, usually called bobbejaantjie or baboon flower, native to South Africa. It has hairy green leaves and purple flowers...

06 / 11 / 2023 | Philisiwe Nonhlanhla Biyela | Pretoria NBG
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Erica heliophila

Erica heliophila
Common names: sunlover heath (Eng.); sonliefhebber heide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica heliophila gives a show of creamy white or pale to deep pink flowers in midsummer (December to February)....

06 / 11 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crassula tetragona

Crassula tetragona ssp. robusta
Common names: kerkei, miniature pine tree, mini pine (Eng.); karkai (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

An attractive, hardy, evergreen succulent plant with a compact upright habit, dark green, sword-shaped leaves that curve upwards and creamy white flowers....

30 / 10 / 2023 | Thato Moeketsane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Grewia microthyrsa

Grewia microthyrsa
Common names: sand raisin (Eng.), sandrosyntjie (Afr.), mufuka (Tshivenda), nsihana (Xitsonga), umunywane, ilalanyathi, ikolo (isiZulu).
Family: Malvaceae

An indigenous shrub with edible fruit and attractive flowers....

30 / 10 / 2023 | Nompumelelo Nkosi | Pretoria NBG
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Portulacaria namaquensis

Illustration by Marieta Visagie
Common names: Namaqua porkbush (Eng.), wolftoon, Namakwariem, Namakwaspekboom (Afr.)
Family: Didiereaceae

Portulacaria namaquensis is an ascending, slow-growing shrub with pale creamy to yellowish or greyish, pencil-thin stems bearing many very short spur-branches...

23 / 10 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria humifusa

Ledebouria humifusa
Common names: broad-leaved African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

The broad-leaved African hyacinth is a bulbous plant with broad usually spotted leaves, which prefers to grow in the shade of forests or wooded areas amongst...

23 / 10 / 2023 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Helichrysum drakensbergense

Helichrysum drakensbergense
Common names: Drakensberg everlasting (Eng.)
Family: Asteraceae

The Drakensberg everlasting is a small perennial herb with woolly grey leaves and compact flat inflorescences of yellow flowers on long stalks covered...

16 / 10 / 2023 | Mashudu Tshitereke | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Kniphofia northiae

Kniphofia northiae
Common names: broad-leaved poker, Marianne North’s poker, giant red-hot poker, octopus torch (Eng.); icacane, umathunga (isiZulu.); leloele (Sesotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Kniphofia northiae, is an award-winning, gigantic red-hot poker, its striking architectural leaves and hardiness making it significant in gardening.Fig....

16 / 10 / 2023 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Empodium veratrifolium

Star-shaped flower
Common names: West Coast star (Eng.); breëblaar sterretjie; Weskus sterretjie (Afr.)
Family: Hypoxidaceae

The bright yellow West Coast star appears after the first good autumn rains, at a time when few other geophytes are in flower. It is easily grown in pots,...

09 / 10 / 2023 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Phaulopsis imbricata

Phaulopsis imbricata
Common names: sticky acanth (Eng.); umhlonyane (isiZulu); papleaf (The Gambia), salt of the cow (Senegal)
Family: Acanthaceae

Phaulopsis imbricata is a bushy, perennial herbaceous plant, with small white flowers in short spikes that are sticky to the touch. Easy to grow, it is...

09 / 10 / 2023 | Bongekile Ndlovu | Pretoria NBG
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Searsia tomentosa

Searsia tomentosa, male flowers.
Common names: bicoloured currant, furry currant, wild currant, current crowberry (Eng), korentebos, korentetaaibos (Afr.) umhlakothi, inhlokoshiyane (isiZulu).
Family: Anacardiaceae

Searsia tomentosa is an attractive, bushy shrub to small tree with multi-coloured foliage, that is commonly known as bicoloured currant. It produces flowers...

02 / 10 / 2023 | Luyanda Bhengu | Free State NBG
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Merwilla plumbea subsp. kraussii

A clump of Merwilla plumbea subsp. kraussii in flower
Common names: dwarf blue squill, wild squill, dwarf scilla (Eng.); kleinblouslangkop, kleinblouberglelie (Afr.); ichitha, inguduza (isiZulu)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Falling under one of the most complicated genera, Merwilla plumbea subsp. kraussii, small as it is, sure has a lot of potential to be a rewarding pot plant...

02 / 10 / 2023 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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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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Erica cubica var. cubica

Erica cubica
Common names: cube heath (Eng.) kubusheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica cubica displays a mass of deep pink flowers in early summer....

25 / 09 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dicerocaryum senecioides

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

Dicerocaryum senecioides is now known as Sesamum senecioides ...

21 / 09 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dicerocaryum eriocarpum

Common names: devil’s thorn (Eng.); beesdubbeltjie, duiwelsdoring, seepbos (Afr.); intekelane (Ndebele); makanagwe (Tswana)
Family: Pedaliaceae

Dicerocaryum eriocarpum is now known as Sesamum eriocarpum ...

21 / 09 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ceratotheca saxicola

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

Ceratotheca saxicola is now known as Sesamum saxicola ...

21 / 09 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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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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Astroloba subg. Poellnitzia

Family: Asphodelaceae

This subgenus comprises a single species....

18 / 09 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Astroloba subg. Astroloba sect. Vastora

Family: Asphodelaceae

The species in this section have leaves that are glossy. Due to their relatively small divergence angle, the leaves form five ranks that are either vertical...

18 / 09 / 2023 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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