Plants of the Week

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Asteraceae

Arctotis stoechadifolia
Common names: daisy family, sunflower family, thistle family (Eng.); madeliefie-familie, sonneblom-familie (Afr.) Class: Dicotyledoneae (Angiospermae) Order: Astera
Family: Asteraceae

This is probably the largest family of flowering plants, with more than 25 000 species world-wide, growing from sea-level to the highest mountain peaks....

26 / 04 / 2004 | Paul Herman | Pretoria NBG
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Aster laevigatus

Aster laevigatus flower head
Common names: Van Staden's aster
Family: Asteraceae

 Aster laevigatus is a little, white to mauve daisy first discovered in the early 1900's. Only a single specimen was taken to London and...

10 / 05 / 2010 | C Cowell | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus virgatus

Asparagus virgatus. Photo Dr Wynand Uys
Common names: broom asparagus, slender asparagus, ‘Tiki’ fern, African broom fern (Eng.); makkatdoring, katstertjie (Afr.); ibutha, ihabiya, iphinganhloya, unwe
Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus virgatus is an evergreen, perennial plant that produces small, greenish white flowers in summer, and small, spheroid, red seeds. It is also known...

02 / 02 / 2015 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Asparagus scandens

Asparagus scandens
Common names: climbing asparagus (Eng.); krulkransie (Afr.)
Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus scandens is a delicate-looking yet sturdy forest-dwelling climbing perennial, ideal for a trellis in a small garden or as a groundcover under...

15 / 03 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus rubicundus

Asparagus rubicundus
Common names: red-stemmed asparagus, wild asparagus (Eng.); wag-‘n-bietjie, swart haakdoring (Afr.)
Family: Asparagaceae

An erect thorny shrub with glossy, reddish brown, thorny stems, soft feathery foliage and starry white flowers, and one of the fastest growing species...

10 / 06 / 2019 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG
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Asparagus retrofractus

Asparagus retrofractus
Common names: zigzag asparagus, ming fern bush; ming asparagus; pom pom asparagus (Eng.); katdoring (Afr.)
Family: Asparagaceae

Quite often, this plant is mistaken for a fern when in-fact it is an attractive, scrambling herbaceous flowering plant, that has zigzagging stems clothed...

12 / 10 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus ramosissimus

Foliage and fruits
Common names: cascade asparagus (Eng.); krulkransie (Afr.); ibutha (Zulu and siSwati); kgopa, sesilatsane (Sesotho)
Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus ramosissimus is an evergreen perennial with abundant soft, light green foliage and a cascading habit, suited to the shady garden or patio....

11 / 05 / 2015 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus microraphis

Asparagus microraphis (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: needles wild-asparagus (Eng.), katdoring (Afr.), lala-tau, lehonyeli, lelala-tau, leu-nyeli, mankoe (Sesotho)
Family: Asparagaceae

An evergreen shrub that is used medicinally by Sesotho speaking people for the treatment of venereal diseases....

25 / 07 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Asparagus falcatus

Asparagus falcatus creeper
Common names: large forest asparagus, thorny creeper, sicklethorn, yellowwood asparagus (Eng.); doringtou (Afr.); imblekazana (isiZulu); ubulawu (isiXhosa)
Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus falcatus is a robust thorny creeper that has attractive white flowers and red berries and will easily double as a safety hedge against unwanted...

10 / 11 / 2008 | Bernard Brown | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus densiflorus ‘Meyersii’

Asparagus densiflorus ‘Meyersii’ growing in Kirstenbosch.
Common names: cat's tail asparagus (Eng.); katstert (Afr.); also known under a few variations or misspelling of its cultivar name, such as: ‘Myers’, Asparagus m
Family: Asparagaceae

Striking ornamental perennial with compactly clustered foliage on arched fronds resembling cat’s tails. Tiny, white, fragrant, star-like flowers...

16 / 04 / 2018 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus densiflorus ‘Cwebe’

Asparagus densiflorus 'Cwebe'
Common names: Cwebe asparagus fern, Cwebe emerald fern, Cwebe basket asparagus (Eng.); smaragsiervaring (Afr.); isiqobola, umgcagcazane, uvelabahleke (Zul.)
Family: Asparagaceae

A handsome ornamental perennial whose graceful spreading fronds has broader needle-like leaflets than the other varieties of asparagus fern. New foliage...

16 / 07 / 2018 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus densiflorus

Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri'
Common names: asparagus fern, emerald fern, basket asparagus (Eng.); smaragsiervaring (Afr.); isiqobola, umgcagcazane, uvelabahleke (Zulu)
Family: Asparagaceae

Asparagus densiflorus is an extremely versatile perennial, evergreen plant that can be used as a groundcover or container plant in full sun or light...

25 / 11 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus asparagoides

Asparagus asparagoides
Common names: Cape smilax, African asparagus smilax, baby smilax, bridal creeper, bridal veil creeper (Eng.); breȅblaarklimop, krulkransie, gnarboola, narbass (Afr
Family: Asparagaceae

A scrambling shrub with lovely glossy foliage, for shade or sun, in the garden or indoors, and excellent for flower arrangements, but take note that outside...

04 / 09 / 2016 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Asparagus africanus

Asparagus africanus
Common names: bush asparagus, African asparagus, wild asparagus, climbing asparagus fern, ornamental asparagus, sparrow grass (Eng.); haakdoring, katdoring, wag-’
Family: Asparagaceae

A perennial climber or sub-shrub with woody, prickly, scrambling stems, fern-like foliage, clusters of beautiful small, white, sweetly scented flowers...

09 / 01 / 2017 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Asparagus aethiopicus

Asparagus aethiopicus
Common names: wild asparagus (Eng.); haakdoring (Afr.)
Family: Asparagaceae

A very important species as it is related to Asparagus officinalis, which is cultivated as a vegetable crop worldwide. This is a species that adapts very...

05 / 02 / 2018 | Livhuwani Auldrean Nkuna | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Aspalathus quartzicola

Flowers of Aspalathus quartzicola
Common names: No reported common names.
Family: Fabaceae

Aspalathus quartzicola is one of few species that occur in quartz patches (quartz-silcrete outcrops); a very specialized habitat, hence its species name....

09 / 03 / 2015 | Dewidine van der Colff | CREW
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Aspalathus linearis

Bush in flower
Common names: rooibos tea (Eng.), rooibostee, bossietee (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Aspalathus linearis, the source of rooibos tea, is a shrub found in the western mountainous parts of the Western Cape. Rooibos tea is a most popular drink...

25 / 06 / 2007 | Marcini Govender | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aspalathus

Aspalathus  callosa
Family: Fabaceae

Aspalathus, the genus to which the rooibos tea plant belongs, is the largest member of the pea family endemic to South Africa....

22 / 08 / 2005 | C Cupido | Compton Herbarium
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Askidiosperma andreaeanum

Askidiosperma andreaeanum
Common names: paper-sheath restio
Family: Restionaceae

A very aesthetically pleasing, compact, tufted plant, with a rounded growth form, attractive smooth stems and golden spathes....

31 / 12 / 2018 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Compton Herbarium
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Asclepias genus

Asclepias woodii (Photo A Shuttleworth)
Common names: milkweed (Eng.); melkbos (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

Members of the genus Asclepias (as most of the taxa in the family Apocynaceae in the broad sense, subfamily Asclepiadoideae), are an interesting group...

17 / 02 / 2020 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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