Plants of the Week

Ballota africana

Common names: cat herb, Cape horehound (Eng.); kattekruie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

A popular herb in the Cape, Ballota africana is easy to identify by its soft-grey, aromatic foliage and old brown calyces that remain long after the flowers...

23 / 08 / 2004 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Baleria repens

Common names: small bush violet (Eng.); kleinbosviooltjie (Afr.), inzinziniba (Zulu)

Family: Acanthaceae

The small bush violet produces masses of pretty tubular flowers and will happily scramble up into surrounding vegetation if conditions are good....

28 / 04 / 2003 | Pitta Joffe | Pretoria NBG

Balanites maughamii subsp. maughamii

Common names: torchwood (Eng.); groendoring (Afr.); umnunu (Sotho); nulu (Tswana)

Family: Zygophyllaceae

Balanites maughamii is not well known in South Africa. The older trees have an amazing, upright, deeply folded or buttressed trunk, that visually...

04 / 09 / 2006 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Baeometra uniflora

Common names: beetle lily

Family: Colchicaceae

Brilliant orange or sulphur yellow flowers with an arresting dark eye make the beetle lily, Baeometra uniflora, instantly recognizable. This bulbous...

23 / 02 / 2009 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium

Baculellum articulatum

Common names: sausage plant, candle plant, hot dog plant (Eng.); worsies, worsiesplantjie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This little succulent plant from the daisy family, known as sausage plant or candle plant, is so named for its distinctive jointed, swollen stems....

30 / 09 / 2024 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG

Bachmannia woodii

Common names: Four-finger Bush (E); Viervingerbos (Afr); umPhunzisa (X), umTswantswantsa (X)

Family: Brassicaceae

...

28 / 06 / 2010 | V Maharaj | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Babiana villosa

Common names: red babiana (Eng.); rooibobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana villosa is a spectacular red- or pink-flowered cormous plant endemic to the southwestern Cape. With sufficient care, it performs well in cultivation...

12 / 08 / 2013 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Babiana stricta

Common names: baboon flower, babiana (Eng.), bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie, katjetie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana stricta is now known as Babiana nervosa....

07 / 03 / 2022 | | Kirstenbosch NBG

Babiana sambucina subsp. sambucina

Common names: fragrant babiana (Eng.); bobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana sambucina subsp. sambucina is an attractive, dwarf, spring-flowering bulbous plant, which is drought tolerant and water-wise....

13 / 05 / 2019 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Babiana rubrocyanea

Common names: blue-and-red babiana, wine-cup baboon-root, winecup babiana (Eng.); kelkiewynbobbejaantjie, rooibloubobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana rubrocyanea is perfect for those seeking a visually stunning and unique floral display. Its striking dark blue flowers with a red centre are truly...

05 / 02 / 2024 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria

Babiana pygmaea

Common names: yellow babiana (Eng.); geelbobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Despite the anomaly surrounding its specific name, the largest-flowered of all the Babiana species is a rewarding winter- and early spring-flowering cormous...

25 / 07 / 2005 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Babiana praemorsa

Common names: stompstertbobbejaantjie, perskussing (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

The flowers of Babiana praemorsa are beautiful — trumpet-shaped, deep purple, with striking white marks on the lower tepals....

15 / 03 / 2010 | Colleen Rust | Hantam NBG

Babiana noctiflora

Common names: night-scented baboon flower, night bobbejaantjie (Eng.); aandbobbejaantjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

A night-scented bobbejaantjie that is rare in fynbos, with yellow flowers that are adapted to their night-flying moth pollinators by remaining open and...

01 / 11 / 2021 | Tamanna Patel | TSP

Babiana nervosa

Common names: baboon flower, babiana (Eng.), bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie, katjetie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

...

07 / 03 / 2022 | Ofentse Naanyane | Pretoria NBG

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

Babiana hirsuta

Common names: red babiana (Eng.); rooibobbejaantjie, rooihanekam, strandlelie, sandlelie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Babiana hirsuta is a striking, robust, geophytic perennial that produces brilliant but unusual recurved red flowers on long flowering stems....

17 / 06 / 2013 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG

Babiana fragrans

Common names: fragrant blue babiana (Eng.); bobbejaantjie, bobbejaanuintjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

...

26 / 11 / 2018 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG

Azima tetracantha

Common names: bee-sting bush, needle bush, four-thorns, stink bush (Eng.); byangelbos, groendoring, spelddoring, naaldebos, naaibos, stinkbos (Afr.); igcegceleya, i

Family: Salvadoraceae

Azima tetracantha is an ornamental, scrambling shrub, with interesting tetragonal branches and large spines....

26 / 09 / 2022 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Azanza garckeana

Common names: azanza, quarters, Rhodesian tree-hibiscus, slime-apple, snot-apple, tree-hibiscus (Eng.); slymappel, snotappel (Afr.); caglacagla, ixaguxagu, ixakuxak

Family: Malvaceae

Azanza garckeana with its non-aggressive root system, large leaves and crinkled yellow flowers, makes a beautiful shade tree which has the added bonus...

18 / 12 / 2017 | Ashton Welcome | National Herbarium Pretoria

Avicennia marina

Common names: white mangrove (Eng.); witseebasboom (Afr.); mangal, towozi, txomahati (Xironga); isikhungathi (isiXhosa, isiZulu) - these from Van Wyk et al. (2011);

Family: Avicenniaceae

Every travel agent's idea of a tropical paradise involves white, palm-fringed beaches and "the murmur of summer seas" - but what are those...

20 / 06 / 2011 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

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