Plants of the Week

Chironia laxa

Common names: Cape centaury, wild centaury (Eng.); bitterwortel (Afr.)

Family: Gentianaceae

This is a delightful plant, with shiny, bright pink, star-shaped flowers that are produced in abundance throughout the summer months, ideal for a sunny...

07 / 03 / 2016 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berchemia discolor

Common names: birdplum, brown ivory (Eng.); bruinivoor, voëlpruim (Afr.); mogokgomo (Sepedi); nyiyi, nyiri (Xitsonga); motsintsila (Setswana); munie (Tshivenda), n

Family: Rhamnaceae

Birdplum or brown ivory is an attractive garden tree, with tough, yellow-brown wood that makes excellent furniture and sticks. Berchemia discolor is also...

29 / 02 / 2016 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Watsonia pillansii

Common names: Pillans’ watsonia, summer watsonia, bugle lily, Beatrice watsonia (Eng.); suurkanol, knolpypie, lakpypie (Afr.); igotyibe (isiXhosa)

Family: Iridaceae

...

29 / 02 / 2016 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Leucadendron chamelaea

Common names: Witsenberg conebush

Family: Proteaceae

Leucadendron chamelaea is one of the iconic species of the Upper Breede River Valley. This species once occurred commonly in this area, but through the...

22 / 02 / 2016 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW

Aloiampelos tenuior

Common names: fence aloe, slender aloe (Eng.); heiningaalwyn (Afr.); ikhalana, ikalene, intelezi, impapane, umjinqa, umkrakrane (isiXhosa); inhlaba, inhlaba empofu

Family: Asphodelaceae

This rambling aloe forms large clumps topped with masses of delicate, yellow or red flowerheads in summer, and is a useful and undemanding landscape plant....

22 / 02 / 2016 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Euclea pseudebenus

Common names: ebony guarri, ebony tree, black ebony, Cape ebony (Eng.); ebbehoutghwarrie, ebbehout, ebbeboom, swartebbenhout (Afr.); tsawib (Nama)

Family: Ebenaceae

Euclea pseudebenus or ebony guarri is a remarkably drought-hardy and tough indigenous tree with a most graceful appearance contrasting its harsh and unforgiving...

15 / 02 / 2016 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG

Dicliptera cernua

Common names: false buck-weed (Eng.)

Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera cernua is a vigorous and versatile winter-flowering groundcover, suitable for sunny or shady areas....

15 / 02 / 2016 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chasmanthe floribunda

Common names: cobra lily, chasmanthe (Eng.); kapelpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

...

08 / 02 / 2016 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium

Protea mundii

Common names: forest sugarbush, white protea (Eng.); witsuikerbos, boswitsuikerbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Although not as eye-catching as the glorious king protea (Protea cynaroides), Protea mundii has a pronounced and unusual charm to it that will add value...

08 / 02 / 2016 | Megan Blatchford | Kirstenbosch NBG

Hoodia flava

Common names: yellow-flowered ghaap (Eng.); soetghaap (Afr.)

Family: Apocynaceae

Hoodia flava is an indigenous shrublet of southern Africa that is popularly used amongst the Khoi-San people as a hunger and appetite suppressant....

01 / 02 / 2016 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cotyledon petiolaris

Common names: Kei-cotyledon (Eng.); Keiplakkie (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

Cotyledon petiolaris is a shrubby leaf succulent with orange-red bell-shaped flowers during winter, attracting sunbirds. Its short petioles distinguish...

01 / 02 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Rabiea albinota

Common names: clock plant (Eng.); s'keng-kengvygie (Afr.); s`keng-keng (Griqua)

Family: Aizoaceae

When in a powdered state, the s'keng-keng is amongst numerous psychotropic plants that are able to alter the mind and mood of an individual....

25 / 01 / 2016 | Ndamase Nozuko | National Herbarium Pretoria

Protea aristata

Common names: Ladismith sugarbush (Eng.); klein-den-suikerbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Protea aristata would surely be among the five best-known South African proteas, even though it had a rather late documented discovery in the 1920s. It...

25 / 01 / 2016 | Megan Blatchford | Kirstenbosch NBG

Xyris capensis

Common names: Cape yellow-eyed grass, common xyris (Eng.); hloho-tsa-makaka, kaka-hlothona (Sesotho); umuzi (SiSwati); udoyi oluncane (isiZulu)

Family: Xyridaceae

Xyris capensis is a perennial grass-like plant growing from a more or less creeping rhizome. Its yellow flowers are clustered in a roundish spike which...

18 / 01 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Salpinctium natalense

Common names: none

Family: Acanthaceae

Salpinctium natalense is a lovely and rare herbaceous perennial that is known from only one site in KwaZulu-Natal; it is well suited to cool, shady...

18 / 01 / 2016 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Oxyanthus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis

Oxyanthus pyriformis flowers and foliage (Geoff Nichols)

Common names: hatpins loquat, Natal loquat (Eng.); hoedespeldlukwart, Natallukwart (Afr.); isibinda esingakhali-amasi (isiZulu); umgungununu (siSwati)

Family: Rubiaceae

Medley Wood described this loquat-like shrub as ‘an exceedingly handsome shrub of good habit, growing generally under large trees in those parts...

11 / 01 / 2016 | Alec Naidoo | Pretoria NBG

Encephalartos latifrons

Common names: Albany cycad (Eng.), Albany-broodboom (Afr.)

Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos latifrons is extremely rare and virtually extinct in its natural habitat. It is very attractive with the broadest leaves of all the cycad...

11 / 01 / 2016 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG

Fabronia pilifera

Common names: hairy fabronia

Family: Fabroniaceae

This delicate epiphytic moss is frequently encountered in woodlands or savanna areas of South Africa....

04 / 01 / 2016 | Jacques van Rooy | National Herbarium Pretoria

Sagittanthera mzimvubuensis

Common names: Mzimvubu-ruby (Eng.); kransrobyn (Afr.)

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Sagittanthera mzimvubuensis is a geophyte with decorative club-shaped, ruby-green bulb scales and pendent, terete leaves, growing on cliffs along the Mzimvubu...

04 / 01 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Vaccinium exul

Common names: African blueberry, African cranberry (Eng.); Afrika-bloubessie, bosbessiebos (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

In southern Africa the heath family (Ericaceae) is represented by only two indigenous genera: Erica which is extremely speciose, containing ± 770...

28 / 12 / 2015 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

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