Plants of the Week

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E.g., 14/11/2024
E.g., 14/11/2024

Plectranthus spicatus

Family: Lamiaceae

See Coleus subspicatus...

24 / 07 / 2024 | |
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Alepidea genus

Alepidea amatymbica
Common names: alepidea, tinsel flower (Eng.); kalmoes (Afr.); ikhathazo (isiZulu); iqwili (isiXhosa); lesoko (South Sotho); inkatsankatsa (Swazi)
Family: Apiaceae

Alepidea is one of only two African-endemic genera within the Saniculeae tribe of the Apiaceae, the other being its sister genus Arctopus. Southern Africa...

22 / 07 / 2024 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Erica oblongiflora

Erica oblongiflora
Common names: Agulhas green heath, sticky green heath (Eng.) groentaaiheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica oblongiflora gives a beautiful show of greenish-yellow flowers for an extended period from late summer into winter, which makes it ideal for companion...

22 / 07 / 2024 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crassula nemorosa

Crassula nemorosa in flower, Badspoort
Common names: dwarf cliff-crassula (Eng.), dwergkransplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula nemorosa is a dwarf, cliff hugging, geophytic, summer-deciduous succulent, from subterranean tubers. The leaves are bluish-green and broad, with...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ruttya fruticosa

Ruttya fruticosa
Common names: jammy mouth, rabbit ears, bunny ears, hummingbird plant, orange bird, orange dragon, monkey face, African azalea (Eng.), jembekkie (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

An attractive, dense, evergreen shrub with glossy light to dark green leaves, covered with an abundance of red to dark orange or yellow, two-lipped, tubular...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Cyrtanthus sanguineus

Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Common names: Kei lily, Inanda lily, Nahoon lily, large red cyrtanthus, fire lily (Eng.), Keilelie, vuurlelie (Afr.), isilawu esimhlophe (isiXhosa).
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Kei lily is a bulbous plant that forms clumps of strappy leaves. It does well as a bedding plant in light shade, providing colour to any dull flower bed...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
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Curio muirii

Close-up of the leaves of Curio muirii
Common names: cliff curio (Eng.); kransharpuis (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Curio muirii is a trailing to pendent cliff hanger from the Gouritz River and its tributaries. The succulent leaves are bluish green, often crowded towards...

08 / 07 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyathula natalensis

Cyathula natalensis
Common names: Natal cyathula, KZN hookweed (Eng.); Natalserondeklits (Afr.); munamumuhulwane (Tshivenda); xinama, rinama (Xitsonga)
Family: Amaranthaceae

A creeping herb cherished as a love charm in South Africa, as well as southern Mozambique by the Tsonga people. This herb’s sticky touch, thanks...

08 / 07 / 2024 | Eunezia Sitoe | CREW
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Cyanotis speciosa

Cyanotis speciosa
Common names: doll’s powderpuff (Eng.), bloupoeierkwassie (Afr.), khopo, theepe-balingoana (seSotho), inkombo, ingonga, umakhothigobile, umakotigoyile, udabulamaf
Family: Commelinaceae

Cyanotis speciosa is a perennial ground cover that provides all-year-round colour with its exquisite powderpuff flowers that are either blue, pink or purple....

08 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
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Disa graminifolia

Disa graminifolia
Common names: blue disa (Eng.), bloumoederkappie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Disa graminifolia is one of the most attractive, and less known orchid species. It has violet-blue flowers in late summer to early autumn that catch one’s...

01 / 07 / 2024 | Lubanzi Kutshwa | Harold Porter NBG
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Chlorophytum capense

Chlorophytum capense
Common names: Cape spider plant, bracket plant
Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum capense is a popular ornamental plant that does well in shade to full sun and is semi-hardy to frost and requires moderate water. It has fleshy...

01 / 07 / 2024 | Sefularo Ramaboea | National Zoological Gardens
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Lycium horridum

Lycium horridum in fruit
Common names: buck honeythorn (Eng.); bokdoring, kriedoring, kraaldoring, slangbessiebos, wolwedoring (Afr.)
Family: Solanaceae

Lycium horridum, also known as the buck honeythorn, is a thorny shrub with oblong leaves and distinctive orange to red berries. The plant is known to be...

24 / 06 / 2024 | Sedzani Madongo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Radinosiphon leptostachya

Radinosiphon leptostachya
Common names: slender-spiked radinosiphon (Eng.); blou angelier (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Radinosiphon leptostachya is a cormous deciduous perennial plant with slender stems and pink flowers in summer, that thrives in rocky environments amongst...

24 / 06 / 2024 | Ziphezinhle Madonsela | Lowveld NBG
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Kniphofia thodei

Kniphofia thodei
Common names: Thode’s poker (Eng.); leloele (Sesotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Kniphofia thodei is a monocotyledonous perennial herb with distinctive bicoloured red and white flowers. Plants are usually solitary, unlike many other...

17 / 06 / 2024 | Rofhiwa Ingrid Mudau | Pretoria NBG
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Pelargonium xerophyton

Pelargonium xerophyton
Common names: xerophyte pelargonium, desert geranium (Eng.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium xerophyton is a hardy succulent with thick stems, twiggy branches, beautiful white flowers and aromatic foliage. Its distinctive growth habit...

17 / 06 / 2024 | Sphephelo Kheswa | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Tulbaghia natalensis

Tulbaghia natalensis
Common names: sweet wild garlic, pink wild garlic (Eng.); soetwildeknoffel (Afr.); iswele lezinyoka (isiZulu)
Family: Alliaceae

One of South Africa’s endemic species, this attractive wild garlic is definitely a go to when looking for low maintenance plants....

10 / 06 / 2024 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Pelargonium multiradiatum

Pelargonium multiradiatum
Common names: none
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium multiradiatum is a hardy, floriferous, spring-summer flowering geophytic species from South Africa’s winter-rainfall area. ...

09 / 06 / 2024 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe globuligemma

Aloe globuligemma
Common names: knob aloe, button aloe (Eng.), knoppiesaalwyn (Afr.), lekopane (Sepedi (seKone dialect))
Family: Asphodelaceae

...

03 / 06 / 2024 | Nondumiso Qwabe | National Zoological Gardens
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Carpobrotus mellei

Carpobrotus mellei in flower
Common names: mountain sourfig (Eng.), bergsuurvy (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

The mountain sourfig is a mat-forming leaf succulent from the mountains in the Western Cape. The leaves are ascending and slightly glaucous, the flowers...

03 / 06 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus diabolicus

Adromischus diabolicus
Common names: Gariep adromischus (Eng.), Gariepnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus diabolicus is a rare, cliff-hugging succulent from the Northern Cape. The plants are dwarf, rosulate, leaf and stem succulents forming small...

27 / 05 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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