Plants of the Week

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E.g., 12/10/2024
E.g., 12/10/2024

Diastella divaricata subsp. divaricata

Diastella divaricata subsp. divaricata
Common names: Peninsula silkypuff
Family: Proteaceae

A sprawling, creeping, rounded shrub dotted with small, pink inflorescences, that gives the best year-round display in a fynbos garden, and is a champion...

01 / 05 / 2017 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diastella divaricata subsp. montana

Diastella divaricata subsp. montana
Common names: mountain silkypuff
Family: Proteaceae

...

22 / 05 / 2017 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diosma haelkraalensis

Diosma haelkraalensis
Common names: Hagelkraal bitter-buchu (Eng.); Hagelkraal bitterboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

This extremely hardy buchu thrives in both alkaline and acidic soils of the fynbos, and flowers for much of the year....

24 / 07 / 2017 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Duvernoia aconitiflora

Common names: yellow pistolbush, lemon pistolbush (Eng.); geelpistoolbos, lemoenpistoolbos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Duvernoia aconitiflora is now called Justicia aconitiflora. ...

15 / 01 / 2018 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diosma aristata

Diosma aristata (A.L. Schutte-Vlok)
Common names: Mossel Bay buchu, spear-leaf diosma
Family: Rutaceae

Diosma aristata is without a doubt the most threatened species in this enigmatic genus of plants. Buchus are well known for their medicinal qualities,...

07 / 05 / 2018 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW
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Dietes butcheriana

Dietes butcheriana
Common names: forest wild iris, forest iris, broad-leaved dietes (Eng.); bosiris (Afr.); isiyunga, iconya (isiXhosa)
Family: Iridaceae

Dietes butcheriana is an indigenous, shade-loving, evergreen irid with broad leaves arranged in a fan, and large, white flowers with apricot markings,...

28 / 01 / 2019 | Sanele Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosanthemum longipes

Drosanthemum longipes
Common names: Biedouw drosanthemum (Eng.); biedouw-rankvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A remarkable, summer dormant, scrambling, leaf succulent, with magenta-pink flowers in winter, re-sprouting annually in autumn, producing many stems from...

18 / 02 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dyschoriste rogersii

Dyschoriste rogersii
Common names: bushveld ribbon flower (Eng.); blou-bosklapper (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A small, evergreen shrub with a very long flowering season, best in semi-shade and with very few natural enemies....

01 / 04 / 2019 | Tumelo Mofokeng | Pretoria NBG
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Disa nivea

Disa nivea
Common names: snow disa
Family: Orchidaceae

Its common name may suggest the pure white colour of the flowers, the red spots, however, carries the mystery for its survival, where it occurs in the...

10 / 06 / 2019 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Delosperma saxicola

Delosperma saxicola
Common names: Tsitsikamma cliff vygie, Tsitsikamma cliff mesemb (Eng.); Tsitsikamma vygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A rare endemic of the coastal cliffs of the Tsitsikamma National Park. Its mat-forming habit makes it a great ground cover, especially for seafront, water-wise,...

30 / 09 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dierama tysonii

Dierama tysonii
Common names: Tyson’s hairbells (Eng.); grasklokkies (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

The graceful hairbells are one of our most loved native plants; these perennial herbs have evergreen grass-like foliage, with slender, wiry stems from...

28 / 10 / 2019 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Dicliptera magaliesbergensis

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis
Common names: none
Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis is one of 20 South African species of Dicliptera, and one of the 3 threatened species. It is found only in Gauteng and nowhere...

02 / 12 / 2019 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dalbergia melanoxylon

Dalbergia melanoxylon
Common names: zebra wood, African blackwood, African ebony (Eng.), sebrahout, swartdriedoring, driedoringebbehout (Afr.), isparati, mpingo (Swati), mogôrôgôrô (
Family: Fabaceae

A beautiful, small, spiny tree, with fragrant, white, pea-like flowers in dense clusters in early summer; it also produces attractive purple-black heartwood...

23 / 12 / 2019 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Dombeya kirkii

Dombeya kirkii
Common names: river wild pear, river dombeya (Eng.); rivierdrolpeer (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

A fast growing and beautiful, ornamental wild pear with masses of white flowers in late summer and winter....

02 / 03 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Digitaria eriantha

Digitaria eriantha
Common names: common finger grass, digit grass, giant pangola grass, Pongola finger grass, Smuts finger grass; woolly finger grass (Eng.); kortbeenhoenderspoor, kru
Family: Poaceae

...

06 / 07 / 2020 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Didelta spinosa

Didelta spinosa
Common names: spiny salad bush (Eng.); perdebos, perdebossie, slaaibos, slaaibossie, t'arda (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Didelta spinosa is a fast-growing shrub or small tree with bright green leaves and large yellow flowers in winter and spring, that is drought-resistant...

10 / 05 / 2021 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Diascia mollis

Diascia mollis
Common names: trailing Transkei twinspur (Eng.); horingkies (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

Sweet, rewarding, ground covering herbaceous perennial for both light-sunny and semi-shaded areas, adding bright colour to the garden and hanging baskets...

31 / 05 / 2021 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diospyros natalensis

Diospyros natalensis
Common names: acorn jackal-berry, acorn diospyros, small-leaved jackal-berry (Eng.); akkerjakkalsbessie, fynblaar jakkalsbessie, smalblaarjakkasbessie (Afr); umhlay
Family: Ebenaceae

A beautiful, densely branched, evergreen shrub or small tree, with attractive, glossy, dark green leaves, small white flowers in spring and yellowish to...

14 / 06 / 2021 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Dovyalis longispina

Dovyalis longispina
Common names: Coast Kei-apple (Eng), Kuskei-appel, Natalappelkoos (Afr.), umNyusa (isiZulu), imQokolo (isiXhoza)
Family: Salicaceae

‘The Dovyalis with the long spines’, that is how one can make sense of its botanical name. With its bright orange-red, edible fruits and very...

21 / 06 / 2021 | Mpho Mathalauga | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Diospyros simii

Diospyros simii
Common names: climbing star-apple, rub-rub berry, star apple (Eng.); ranksterappel, kraaibessie, kraaibessiebos, ranktolbessiebos, tolbessiebos (Afr.); umbongisa (i
Family: Ebenaceae

This fast-growing shrub or small tree grows well in sun or semi shade. It produces white flowers in spring, followed by decorative, orange-red, edible...

08 / 11 / 2021 | Zubayr Sydow | Kirstenbosch NBG
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