Plants of the Week

Cotula barbata

Common names: gansogies, kleinganskos, knoppiesopslag (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Cotula barbata is a widespread, yellow- or white-flowered annual that occurs in the Western Cape and Northern Cape of South Africa.Fig. 1. Cotula barbata,...

20 / 03 / 2023 | Aarifah Jakoet | Compton Herbarium

Cordylogyne globosa

Common names: none

Family: Apocynaceae

Cordylogyne globosa grows from a perennial tuber that looks somewhat like a white carrot, into long, slender stems and leaves, hidden amongst other tall...

02 / 01 / 2017 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cordyla africana

Common names: sunbird tree (Eng.); wildemango (Afr.); iGowane-elikhulu, umbhone (Zulu)

Family: Fabaceae

Did you know that Africa has its own mango? Although the fruit is not as big and tasty as the exotic one and it belongs to a different family, it is extremely...

26 / 06 / 2006 | Jean Meyer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cordia caffra

Common names: septee saucer-berry (Eng.); septeeboom (Afr.); mududa (V)

Family: Boraginaceae

Why this breathtaking tree is so rarely used in the horticultural and landscape trade is a mystery. It possesses almost all the qualities of the ideal...

20 / 10 / 2003 | Nick Klapwijk | Pretoria NBG

Corchorus olitorius

Common names: Egyptian spinach, Indian jute, wild jute, bush okra, Jew’s mallow, West African sorrel, jute mallow, tossa jute (Eng.); wilde jute, Indiese jute (Af

Family: Malvaceae

A tropical, fast-growing, annual herb, up to 4 m tall, with a fibrous stem and yellow flowers in 1 to 2 months from the time of germination....

02 / 08 / 2021 | Meshack Nethavhani | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Conophytym obcordellum subsp. obcordellum

Common names: dumpling

Family: Aizoaceae

Minute but spectacular; Conophytum species are amongst the most intriguing of all dwarf succulents and C. obcordellum is perhaps one of the most spectacular...

12 / 11 / 2012 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG

Conophytum wettsteinii

Common names: cone plant, dumplings, button plants (Eng.); knopies (buttons), toontjies (little toes), waterblasies (water blisters), ogies (small eyes) (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Conophytum wettsteinii are highly collectable, easy to grow, dwarf-cushioned succulents that produce attractive pink flowers in autumn....

19 / 05 / 2014 | A Jakoet | Compton Herbarium

Conophytum truncatum

Common names: dumpling

Family: Aizoaceae

Have you ever seen anything like this? For the uninitiated this strange plant must seem extraterrestrial. So it must have appeared also to its discoverers...

31 / 03 / 2003 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG

Conophytum pageae

Common names: lips plant, cone plant, button plant, dumplings, living pebbles (Eng.); knopies, toontjies (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

An evergreen member of the Aizoaceae family, Conophytum pageae is a unique succulent with lips that resemble those of a human. Considering how simple it...

05 / 06 / 2023 | Khotatso Baloyi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Conophytum ficiforme

Common names: button plants (Eng.); knopies (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Conophytums, these peculiar gems with their highly reduced leaves and exposed surfaces, and with flowers resembling miniature shaving brushes, have fascinated...

28 / 01 / 2013 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Conophytum calculus subsp. calculus

Common names: cone plants, dumplings, button plants, sphaeroids, conos; knopies (buttons), toontjies (little toes), waterblasies (water blisters) (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

These humorous-looking `pebble plants' are easy to grow in pots and their unusual night-time opening flowers have a delightfully spicy scent....

19 / 05 / 2014 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG

Conicosia pugioniformis subsp. pugioniformis

Common names: giant clockplant, pigroot, pig salad, narrow-leaved ice plant (Eng.); groot vetkousie, varkslaai, gansies, varkwortel, snotwortel (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

A striking, yellow flowering, die-hard, succulent groundcover, suited to sandy and coastal gardens, rockeries or pots....

02 / 09 / 2019 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

Commiphora woodii

Common names: forest corkwood (Eng.); boskanniedood (Afr.); iminele, wehlathi, umhlunguthi (isiXhosa); iminyela, umdewehlathi, umubu, umunde wehlathi (isiZulu)

Family: Burseraceae

The forest corkwood is one of the few corkwoods that does not have flaking or peeling bark. ...

18 / 10 / 2021 | Siphesihle Precious Sibiya | Kirstenbosch NBG

Commiphora harveyi

Common names: copper-stem corkwood, red-stem corkwood (Eng.); koperstamkanniedood, rooistamkanniedood (Afr.); umhlunguthi, ulonwabo (isiXhosa); iminyela, umbumbunga

Family: Burseraceae

An interesting tree because of its unusual appearance of silky, copper-like bark that peels in large flakes; a great specimen for making bonsai trees and...

14 / 08 / 2017 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG

Commiphora

Common names: corkwood, commiphora; (Eng.); kanniedood (Afr.)

Family: Burseraceae

The corkwoods are a fascinating group of trees, because of their bizarre appearance, but more importantly for their historical and biblical association...

31 / 01 / 2011 | Beate Hölscher | National Herbarium Pretoria

Commelina benghalensis

Common names: Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort, Benghal wandering Jew (Eng.); blouselblommetjie (Afr.); lala-tau, khopo-e-nyenyane, khotsoana (Sesotho); uhlot

Family: Commelinaceae

Commelina benghalesis is a common, widespread weed found throughout southern Africa, tropical Africa and Asia and it is difficult to eradicate in cultivated...

24 / 10 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Commelina africana

Common names: common yellow commelina (Eng.); geeleendagsblom (Afr.); idangabane (Zulu), lekzotswana (Xhosa); khopo, khotsoana, lekxopswana, tabola-lefalo (Southern

Family: Commelinaceae

Commelina africana differs from most other Commelina species by having pretty, small, canary-yellow flowers instead of the usual blue flowers, and also...

09 / 04 / 2007 | C Mudau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Combretum zeyheri

Common names: large-fruited bushwillow, Zeyher’s bushwillow (Eng.); raasblaar, fluisterboom (Afr.); moduba-tshipi (Sepedi); umbondwe wasembudwini (isi Zulu); mufh

Family: Combretaceae

Combretum zeyheri is a bushveld tree, with a rounded crown shape, single or multi-stemmed, with the bark that is smooth and whitish in colour. It is an...

25 / 05 / 2015 | Andrew Hankey | Pretoria NBG