Plants of the Week

Adenia spinosa

Common names: spiny greenstem, elephant’s foot (Eng.); tshivhuyu-dumbu (Tshivenda)

Family: Passifloraceae

In the far north of South Africa grows a very special, ancient-looking plant with a stem resembling an elephant’s foot. In our neighbouring country,...

30 / 04 / 2018 | Livhuwani Auldrean Nkuna | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Adenia gummifera

Common names: snake-climber, monkey rope, gummy adenia (Eng.); impinda, impindamshaye, umphindamshaya, imfulwa (isiZulu); slangklimop (Afr.)

Family: Passifloraceae

A large, attractive, woody geophyte which often climbs into other plants, holding on by means of tendrils. Stems are bright green, with kidney-shaped and...

13 / 02 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Adenia glauca

Common names: blue leaved elephant’s foot (Eng.); bobbebjaangif (Afr.)

Family: Passifloraceae

The oddly shaped, swollen stem and twining vines of Adenia glauca can be seen growing in the driest parts of southern Africa. Its soft greyish green, palmately-shaped...

16 / 03 / 2020 | Jermaine Christoffels | Kirstenbosch NBG

Adenia fruticosa subsp. fruticosa

Common names: Sekhukhune greenstem, greenstem (Eng.); sekoekoenie-bobbejaangif (Afr.).

Family: Passifloraceae

Adenia fruticosa is one of the succulent plants that is easily recognised by its very attractive, tuberous, swollen, green stem, sometimes splitting into...

27 / 12 / 2021 | Nomndeni Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG

Adenandra uniflora

Common names: china flower, shepherd's delight (Eng.); Kommetjie teewater, bergskaapboegoe (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

...

11 / 08 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Adenandra obtusata

Common names: Agulhas china flower

Family: Rutaceae

Showy, white flowers that shimmer in the sun brighten up this evergreen shrub and attract insects, butterflies and bees to your garden. Belonging to the...

02 / 05 / 2005 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Adenandra gummifera

Common names: Potberg china flower, gummy china flower (Eng.); Potberg-porseleinblom (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

A beautiful, aromatic, fynbos shrub with showy white porcelain-like flowers in winter and spring....

07 / 08 / 2006 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Adansonia digitata

Common names: baobab, Cream of Tartar tree, monkey-bread tree, lemonade tree (Eng.); kremetartboom(Afr.); isimuku, umShimulu, isiMuhu (Zulu); ximuwu (Tsonga); mowan

Family: Malvaceae

Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, the baobab tree is steeped in a wealth of mystique, legend and superstition wherever it occurs in...

10 / 02 / 2003 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Acridocarpus natalitus

Common names: moth-fruit, the binder (Eng.); motvrug (Afr.); umabophe, umabophawentaba, umabopha and ihlalanyosi (isiZulu)

Family: Malpighiaceae

Its beautiful flowers and fruit make this evergreen shrub or small tree an appealing garden subject which should be in most gardens in the warmer and coastal...

20 / 06 / 2005 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Acorus calamus

Common names: sweet-flag (Eng.); makkalmoes (Afr.); ikalamuzi (Zulu)

Family: Acoraceae

Acorus calamus is a reed-like, aquatic plant with a pungent smell that has been used medicinally since biblical times. It has many traditional uses all...

07 / 03 / 2005 | J K Baloyi | Pretoria NBG

Acokanthera oppositifolia

Common names: Bushman's Poison; Boesmansgif (Afrikaans); inHlungunyembe (Zulu); iNtlungunyembe (Xhosa)

Family: Apocynaceae

The Bushman's poison is a medium to large woody shrub with attractive hard dark green leaves. ...

27 / 08 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Acokanthera oblongifolia

Common names: dune poison-bush (Eng.), duinegifboom, gewone gifboom (Afr.) inhlungunyembe, ubuhlungu-benyoka, umhlangashiso (isiZulu), intlungunyembe, inxinebe (isi

Family: Apocynaceae

Beautiful white and sweetly scented flowers followed by large, red to purple fruits which turn purple-red to black when mature, but an extremely poisonous...

31 / 07 / 2017 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia trigona

Common names: Langeberg porcelain flower (Eng.); Langeberg-boegoe (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

Acmadenia trigona, from the winter rainfall region, forms an upright shrub with spreading branches. It grows 0.3-0.7 m high. It is a single stem at the...

18 / 08 / 2008 | Norma Lucas | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia tetragona

Common names: pagoda flower, Outeniqua porcelain flower (Eng.)

Family: Rutaceae

A hardy aromatic shrub that captures attention in spring, with its delicate, light pink flowers with pink nectar guides clearly visible in the centre of...

27 / 01 / 2025 | Phophi Ceri Thovhakale | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia obtusata

Common names: dune porcelain flower ( Eng. ); duineboegoe, steekboegoe (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

Acamadenia obtusata forms a variable shrub, displaying floriferous pink flowers with aromatic foliage. Characteristic of the citrus family are oil...

06 / 06 / 2005 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia mundiana

Common names: De Hoop porcelain flower (Eng.), De Hoop-boegoe (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

This attractive shrub with grey-green foliage carries bright pink star-shaped flowers almost all year round but mainly in winter and spring....

30 / 09 / 2002 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia macropetala

Common names: large-petal acmadenia

Family: Rutaceae

...

27 / 08 / 2007 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia kiwanensis

Common names: Kiwane porcelain flower

Family: Rutaceae

...

26 / 08 / 2019 | Sibahle Gumede | Kwelera NBG

Acmadenia heterophylla

Common names: variable-leaf acmadenia

Family: Rutaceae

This is a delicate looking shrub with starry pink flowers and a sweet lemony scent when touched. It belongs to the citrus family (Rutaceae) with most of...

14 / 08 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Acmadenia alternifolia

Common names: Knysna porcelain flower (Eng.); Knysna-duineboegoe (Afr.)

Family: Rutaceae

A robust, fine-textured, floriferous, aromatic shrublet from the fynbos....

12 / 07 / 2021 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

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