Plants of the Week

Haemanthus coccineus

Common names: March flower, April fool, blood flower, paintbrush lily, powderpuff lily, king-of-Candia, pincushion (Eng.); bergajuin, bloedblom, rooikwas, bobbejaan

Family: Amaryllidaceae

One of the surprises of late summer, with flowerheads like bright shaving brushes popping up from underground bulbs, is Haemanthus coccineus, which has...

17 / 11 / 2003 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG

Haemanthus canaliculatus

Common names: channel-leaved haemanthus

Family: Amaryllidaceae

In late summer or early autumn, after fires have swept through some of the swampy areas near the sea in the Hangklip area, you may be lucky enough to see...

28 / 11 / 2011 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG

Haemanthus albiflos

Common names: white paint brush (Eng.); witpoeierkwas (Afr.); umathunga (Xho.); uzaneke (Zul)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Haemanthus albiflos is the best known of the three evergreen species of Haemanthus and with its handsome leaves, long flowering season and red berries...

10 / 06 / 2002 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Haemanthus

Common names: paintbrush, powderpuff (Eng.); poeierkwas, velskoenblaar (Afr.)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Haemanthus may be perceived as brilliant, brazen blood lilies or demure, soft, powderpuffs-in either guise they can surprise and delight you....

15 / 08 / 2005 | D Snijman | Kirstenbosch NBG

Gyrocarpus americanus subsp. africanus

Common names: propeller tree, helicopter tree (Eng.); helikopterboom (Afr.); mutama, mudzoudzhou (Tshivenda).

Family: Hernandiaceae

An interesting tree with a smooth, grey to silvery white trunk, and ovoid fruit crowned with 2 wings, which look remarkably like the slender wings of a...

20 / 08 / 2018 | Matome Leboho | Pretoria NBG

Gymnosporia senegalensis

Common names: red spikethorn, confetti spikethorn (Eng.); bloupendoring, rooipendoring (Afr.); sephatho, mophatho (Sepedi); sihlangu lesimhlophe (siSwati); ubuhlang

Family: Celastraceae

A bright, white-flowered, sweet-scented indigenous shrub, often with wine-red branches. Its roots and leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat...

25 / 01 / 2021 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Gymnosporia harveyana

Common names: black forest spikethorn (Eng.); swartbospendoring (Afr.)

Family: Celastraceae

This is an evergreen, dense, spiny shrub or small tree, with lovely shiny foliage and small white-and-red fruits. It is suitable for small gardens as a...

14 / 06 / 2004 | M Jordan | National Herbarium Pretoria

Gymnosporia buxifolia

Common names: spikethorn, common spikethorn, stinking spike-thorn (Eng.); gewone pendoring, pendoring, stinkdoring, lemoendoring (Afr.); ingqwangane, ubangalala, us

Family: Celastraceae

Gymnosporia buxifolia is a very showy plant when in flower and can grow into an interesting and shapely small tree over time. It can be pruned to form...

30 / 11 / 2015 | Sameer Khan | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Gymnanthemum myrianthum

Common names: blue bitter-tea, eared bitter-tea, blue vernonia, eared vernonia, poison tree-vernonia, wild lilac (Eng.); bloubittertee, bosbloutee (Afr.); uhluhlung

Family: Asteraceae

An unusual, striking, robust shrub or small tree that is suddenly beautiful when in flower in late autumn, with eye-catching clumps of mauve to white to...

05 / 12 / 2016 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Gymnanthemum corymbosum

Common names: mountain bitter-tea, mountain vernonia (Eng.); uhlunguhlungu (Zulu)

Family: Asteraceae

Gymnanthemum corymbosum is an attractive, fast-growing shrub, with interesting purple and white, daisy flowers in late summer and autumn, followed by fluffy...

03 / 07 / 2017 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium

Gunnera perpensa

Common names: river pumpkin, wild rhubarb (Eng.); rivierpampoen, wilde ramenas (Afr.); qobo (Sotho); uqobho (Swati); rambola-vhadzimu, shambola-vhadzimu (Venda); ip

Family: Gunneraceae

Is this what the dinosaurs ate? Read on to find out.The genus Gunnera has numerous unique characteristics, some of which indicate that these plants have...

19 / 12 / 2005 | R Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Grona setigera

Common names: bristly tick-clover (Eng.); pomo, pomσ (Mende, Sierra Leone)

Family: Fabaceae

Grona setigera, commonly known as bristly tick-clover, is a beautiful legume that grows close to the ground, with remarkable, beautiful, colourful flowers...

13 / 11 / 2023 | Mbali Mkhize | National Herbarium Pretoria

Greyia sutherlandii

Common names: glossy bottlebrush, mountain bottlebrush, Natal bottlebrush, wild bottlebrush, beacon tree (Eng.); blinkblaarbaakhout, Natalse baakhout (Afr.); isidw

Family: Melianthaceae

This is a most decorative plant and is becoming popular as an ornamental subject in gardens....

02 / 10 / 2006 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Greyia radlkoferi

Common names: woolly bottlebrush, Transvaal bottlebrush, wild bottlebrush (Eng.); wollerige baakhout (Afr.); isidwadwa (Zulu); inhlazane, indlebelembila (Swazi)

Family: Melianthaceae

The gnarled branches of Greyia radlkoferi make this small tree or shrub an attractive structural element for any garden. In nature, growing in misty gullies...

11 / 10 / 2004 | De La Cruz P | Kirstenbosch NBG

Greyia flanaganii

Common names: Kei bottlebrush (E), Kei baakhout (A), uSinga lwamaxhegokazi (X).

Family: Melianthaceae

Greyia flanaganii has great horticultural potential as a spring flowering shrub that is yet to be fully explored by growers and gardeners. This tree...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Greyia

Common names: wild bottlebrushes

Family: Melianthaceae

This family occurs only in South Africa, and consists of a single genus, Greyia Hook. & Harv. with 3 species, all small trees or shrubs. The...

20 / 09 / 2010 | F Nonyane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Grewia rogersii

Common names: Waterberg raisin (Eng.); Waterberg-rosyntjie (Afr.); mulembu (Tshivenda)

Family: Malvaceae

The Waterberg raisin is a bushy shrub with attractive dark green and whitish bicoloured foliage, star shaped yellow flowers in summer and 4-lobed berry-like...

13 / 05 / 2024 | Sithembile Ndlovu | National Herbarium Pretoria

Grewia robusta

Common names: Karoo crossberry, Karoo crossberry raisin (Eng.); karookruisbessie (Afr); umnqabaza (Xhosa).

Family: Malvaceae

The sweetly scented Grewia robusta has beautiful, bright pink flowers. It is a frost-resistant, hardy shrub or small tree that is adaptable to...

24 / 12 / 2012 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Grewia retinervis

Common names: Kalahari raisin, false sandpaper raisin, Kalahari donkey berry, Kalahari grewia, Kalahari raisin bush, kalahari-sand grewia, kalahari sand raisin (Eng

Family: Malvaceae

Grewia retinervis is a hardy shrub with bright yellow flowers in summer and shiny, reddish brown edible fruits....

18 / 03 / 2019 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria

Grewia occidentalis

Common names: cross-berry, four-corners (E), kruisbessie (A), Mokukutu (Setsw.), Mogwane (N.Sotho), iLalanyathi (Zulu), umSipane (Siswati), umNqabaza (Xhosa), Mulem

Family: Malvaceae

This attractive indigenous shrub has a wide natural distribution....

19 / 11 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

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