Plants of the Week

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E.g., 04/12/2024

Serruria brownii

Shrub in flower
Common names: Bottlebrush spiderhead ; fleskwasbos (Afr.)  
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria brownii is a charming and unusual shrublet. It can be tricky to cultivate but when growing happily will reward you with dense soft foliage...

31 / 12 / 2013 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria cyanoides

Serruria cynaroides.Photo Protea Atlas
Common names: Wynberg spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

The genus Serruria is one of the genera of the protea family, and is found only in the Cape Floral Kingdom. ...

14 / 07 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria fucifolia

Serruria fucifolia shrub
Common names: northern spiderhead (Eng.); sandveldspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria fucifolia is a charming medium-sized fynbos shrub. During late winter and early spring it is covered in sweetly-scented silver-pink flowers....

18 / 07 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria glomerata

Serruria glomerata shrub
Common names: cluster spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria glomerata is an attractive fynbos shrub that belongs in the Protea Family and occurs naturally only on the Cape Peninsula. Its compact rounded...

02 / 08 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria rosea

Serruria rosea flower heads
Common names: rose spiderhead, bridesmaid spiderhead (Eng.); strooimeisie, bruidsbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria rosea is one of the showiest spiderheads, producing a spectacular display of up to 20 rose-pink tightly clustered flower heads per stem....

23 / 08 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria triternata

Serruria triternata flowerheads and foliage
Common names: Tulbagh spiderhead, dill-leaf serruria (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

The Tulbagh spiderhead is a charming fynbos shrub suited to an informal indigenous garden. It is rather nondescript when not flowering but in spring time...

22 / 08 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria villosa

Serruria villosa
Common names: golden spiderhead, valley spiderhead (Eng.); gouespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria villosa is a charming sweetly scented shrublet suited to the wild fynbos garden....

16 / 04 / 2012 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria trilopha

Serruria trilopha
Common names: trident spiderhead, sand spiderhead, snake-stem spiderhead, three-crested spiderhead (Eng.); slangspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered member of the protea family makes an unusual addition to sandy coastal gardens....

13 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Setaria megaphylla

Setaria megaphylla
Common names: ribbon grass, broad-leafed bristle grass
Family: Poaceae

Setaria megaphylla may be found along rivers in low-lying areas or forests and in dense bushveld where there is plenty of moisture. ...

29 / 04 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Sideroxylon inerme

Foliage and flower buds  of Sideroxylon inerme
Common names: white milkwood ( Eng. ); witmelkhout, melkhoutboom, melkbessie (Afr.); aMasethole, umQwashu (Xhosa); aMasethole-amhlope, uMakhwela-fingqane (Zulu)
Family: Sapotaceae

...

26 / 06 / 2006 | Freddie Bosman | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Silene undulata

Silene undulata © Tony Dold
Common names: dream root, gun powder plant, campion (Eng.); unozitholana, ubulawu, undlela zimhlophe (isiXhosa); kleinwildetabak (Afr.)
Family: Caryophyllaceae

This small herb is used as a 'dream plant'....

30 / 09 / 2013 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Siphonochilus aethiopicus

Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Common names: Natal ginger, Wild ginger (English); Wildegemmer (Afrikaans); indungulo, isiphephetho (Zulu)
Family: Zingiberaceae

...

11 / 03 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Solanum aculeastrum

Solanum acueleastrum
Common names: goat bitter-apple, bitter-apple, goat apple, poison apple (Eng.); bok-bitterappel, bitterappel, bokappel, gifappel (Afr.); thola (Tswana); murulwa (Ve
Family: Solanaceae

...

01 / 03 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Solanum giganteum

Berries of Solanum giganteum
Common names: healing-leaf tree, giant bitter-apple, red bitter-apple, red bitter-berry, thorny bug-tree (Eng.); geneesblaarboom, grootbitterappel, rooibitterbessie
Family: Solanaceae

This big shrub with its colourful, long-lasting berries and large leaves with silvery undersides, makes an unusual hedge or background plant....

19 / 01 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sorghum bicolor

Sorghum - head of grain
Common names: sorghum (Eng.); graansorghum (Afr); mabele (Pedi,Sotho,Ndebele); amabele(Z); amazimba (Xhosa)
Family: Poaceae

This crop plant has been cultivated in southern Africa for over 3 000 years....

31 / 01 / 2005 | E T Rampho | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sparaxis grandiflora subsp. grandiflora

Flower showing vertical anthers and style  to one side
Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis (Eng.); botterblom, ferweel, ferweeltjie, fluweeltjie, perskalkoentjie, perskalossie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis grandiflora is indeed an attractive species and it is not surprising that it was introduced to Kew Gardens as early as 1758. However, as Du Plessis...

14 / 08 / 2006 | Caitlin Von Witt | CREW
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Sparaxis elegans

Sparaxis elegans
Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, pale harlequin flower (Eng.); spogfluweeltjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis elegans is, as its name suggests, one of the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing species the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) has to...

09 / 06 / 2014 | Brittany Arendse | CREW
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Sparaxis maculosa

In flower
Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, wandflower (Eng.); botterblom, ferweel, ferweeltjie, fluweeltjie, geelkalkoentjie, geelkalossie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Known from only two localities, one recently discovered, this spectacularly large-flowered species is sadly frail in its magnificence, a shadow cast upon...

17 / 03 / 2008 | Caitlin Von Witt | CREW
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Sparrmannia africana

Flowers
Common names: Cape stock rose, wild stock rose, African hemp, Cape hollyhock (Eng.); Kaapse stokroos, wildestokroos (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

Sparrmannia africana is an easy-to-grow large shrub for a shady area with lush, soft, heart-shaped leaves and pretty white flowers with a puff of...

08 / 04 / 2013 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Spatalla mollis

Flower spike
Common names: woolly spoon
Family: Proteaceae

Spatalla mollis boasts attractive flower headlets of white or mauve flowers from July to December. The small shrubs blend in well with the surrounding...

29 / 10 / 2012 | Benjamin Festus | Harold Porter NBG
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