Plants of the Week

Clausena anisata

Common names: horsewood (Eng.); perdepis, perdepisboom, lemoenhout, perdeboom, perdebos , perdepisbos , perdepisbossie, stinkbas, basternieshout (Afr.); umnukelambi

Family: Rutaceae

Clausena anisata is a very neat and attractive small tree, that gives off a strong scent that is considered by many to be unpleasant; when the leaves are...

01 / 11 / 2021 | Thamsanqa Msweli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cladostemon kirkii

Common names: three-finger bush, butterfly-tree (Eng.); Tonga-kierie (Eng. & Afr.); umThekwini, umusi-iyamuka, uphanda, isidumbu (isiZulu)

Family: Brassicaceae

How is it possible that a tree with such attractive flowers should bear fruits with such an awful stench?...

07 / 05 / 2007 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Citrullus lanatus

Common names: tsamma melon, wild watermelon (Eng.); bitterboela, bitterwaatlemoen, karkoer (Afr.); t'sama (Khoisan); makataan (Tswana)

Family: Cucurbitaceae

...

26 / 12 / 2011 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cissus quadrangularis

Common names: climbing cactus, cactus vine, succulent-stemmed wild grape, edible-stemmed vine (Eng.); velddruif (Afr.); ijovane, isinwazi, umhlushwane, umnhlonhlwan

Family: Vitaceae

A climber with square, fleshy, green stems and red berries in summer. The stems, roots and leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat various human...

24 / 01 / 2022 | M Mashiane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cissampelos capensis

Common names: Cape moonseed vine (Eng.); dawidjies, davidjes, dawidjieswortel, dawedjieswortel, fynblaarklimop (Afr.); umayisake (isiXhosa)

Family: Menispermaceae

Cissampelos capensis is a tough, slow-growing, sprawling or climbing shrublet with beautiful bluish-green foliage, and is a well-known medicinal plant...

20 / 06 / 2022 | Laura Dineo Selepe | Karoo Desert NBG

Cirsium vulgare

Common names: Scottish thistle, spear thistle (Eng.); skotse dissel (Afr.); hlaba (Sesotho); ntsoa-ntsane (Setswana)

Family: Asteraceae

Cirsium vulgare is mostly regarded as a weed or undesirable plant. However, the plants are very attractive and offer lots of rewards for butterflies and...

08 / 05 / 2017 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cineraria saxifraga

Common names: wild cineraria; geelblom

Family: Asteraceae

Cineraria saxifraga, with its delicate foliage and bright yellow flowers, is a rewarding and versatile plant for the garden....

18 / 03 / 2002 | Ebrahim Lawrence | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cineraria geifolia

Common names: geum-leaved cineraria

Family: Asteraceae

A cheery, floriferous, spring-flowering ground cover, widespread from the coastal shores to higher altitudes inland and it is easy to grow, making it a...

30 / 11 / 2020 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cineraria cyanomontana

Common names: Blouberg cineraria

Family: Asteraceae

Cineraria cyanomontana is a small herbaceous plant endemic to the Blouberg Mountain in Limpopo Province. It is a perennial plant with grey or ash-coloured...

13 / 03 / 2023 | Lesibana Petrus Maema | Thohoyandou NBG

Cienfuegosia hildebrandtii

Common names: small cotton bush, wedge-leaf false-hibiscus, small fly-mallow (Eng.)

Family: Malvaceae

Small Cotton Bush has beautiful, bicoloured, hibiscus-like flowers, with bold red to maroon centres on yellow flowers. Unlike the true Cotton, Gossypium...

24 / 05 / 2022 | Swinky Nkosi | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cichorium intybus

Common names: blue dandelion, chicory (Eng.); sigorei (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Most people will only admire this pretty, blue-flowered weed along roads and in abandoned fields and not know its other useful properties. Although mostly...

19 / 06 / 2017 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Chrysocoma coma-aurea

Common names: golden heads, golden bitter bush, golden cowcud (Eng.); bitterbos (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This species is a showy shrub of fast growth that may be planted close together to form a good border plant, along the edges of a flower bed....

29 / 12 / 2014 | Papama Tsoanyane | Harold Porter NBG

Chrysocoma ciliata

Common names: bitter bush, bitter cowcud (Eng.); bitterbos (Afr.); sehalahala (Sesotho)

Family: Asteraceae

A dense, slender-stemmed shrublet that boasts with its alluring, bright yellow, globular flowerheads....

24 / 12 / 2018 | Thembakazi Dyariwe | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chlorophytum saundersiae

Common names: weeping anthericum (Eng.); watergras (Afr.)

Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum saundersiae is a popular garden plant and is used extensively by landscape gardeners. It has a pleasing grass-like appearance making it a...

13 / 05 / 2013 | A Johannsmeier | Pretoria NBG

Chlorophytum cremnophilum

Common names: cliff spider plant, cliff hen and chickens (Eng.); krans hen-en-kuikens (Afr.)

Family: Agavaceae

The cliff spider plant is a new, recently named, cliff-hanger species from the Kouga and Grootrivier tributaries of the Gamtoos, in the Eastern Cape. Unlike...

03 / 08 / 2015 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chlorophytum comosum

Common names: hen-and-chickens, spider plant (Eng.); hen-en-kuikens (Afr.); iphamba (Zulu)

Family: Agavaceae

Chlorophytum comosum is a perennial lily-like plant with tuberous roots, bearing spreading to recurved soft leaves from a central rosette and an elongated...

05 / 11 / 2012 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

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

Chlorophytum bowkeri

Common names: giant chlorophytum, Bowker's chlorophytum (Eng.); groot boskuikens (Afr.)

Family: Agavaceae

A robust perennial herb that makes an impeccable landscape plant, when planted in a mass as a ground cover....

09 / 09 / 2019 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG

Chloris virgata

Common names: blue grass, feather finger grass, feathered chloris, hay grass, old land grass, sweet grass, white grass (Eng.); blougras, hooigras, katstertgras, klo

Family: Poaceae

Chloris virgata is a pioneer grass that grows on bare ground and is used as pasture and hay grass, commonly known as feather finger grass and distinguishable...

07 / 06 / 2021 | Creselda Nyeleti Shirinda | National Herbarium Pretoria

Chloris gayana

Common names: Hunyani grass, Rhodes grass, Rhodesian blue grass (Eng.); bruinvingergras, rhodes-gras, rooiklossiegras (Afr.); nyankomo, umyaka (isiZulu)

Family: Poaceae

Rhodes grass is a very leafy grass which spreads by means of stolons. It is a fairly distinctive grass, not easily confused with other grasses....

17 / 07 / 2023 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

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