Plants of the Week

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E.g., 15/01/2025
E.g., 15/01/2025

Bulbine ramosa

Bulbine ramosa
Common names: Badspoort bulbine (Eng.); badspoortkopieva (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Bulbine ramosa is an obligatory cliff-hugger, with bright green, ascending, pencil-like, tapering leaves and a solitary inflorescence of yellow flowers...

05 / 04 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe grandidentata

Aloe grandidentata
Common names: dwarf soap aloe (Eng.); bontaalwyn, kleinbontaalwyn, kanniedood (Afr.); lekghala (Sso.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

A low-growing, cluster-forming aloe with attractive, white-spotted leaves and tall inflorescences of pinkish red, tubular flowers in early spring; well...

05 / 04 / 2021 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Acalypha punctata

Acalypha punctata
Common names: sticky brooms and brushes (Eng.); umsongo (Swa.); usunundu (Zul.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

An unusual herbaceous perennial, with a distinctive and very strong scent, not common in commercial horticulture....

05 / 04 / 2021 | Sicelo Sithole | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus elatus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: George lily, Scarborough lily (Eng.); george-lelie, knysna-lelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus elatus is a bulbous plant from the fynbos, with spectacular, scarlet, deep red, rose-pink or rarely, white blooms, which appear from late spring...

29 / 03 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brachystelma gerrardii

Brachystelma gerrardii
Common names: Gerrard’s Brachystelma (Eng.)
Family: Apocynaceae

The shiny, lush, metallic green, or sometimes black flowers, are a rare delight to the eyes. Although having an extensive range across 3 provinces, this...

29 / 03 / 2021 | Aaliyah Motala | CREW
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Bulbine suurbergensis

Bulbine suurbergensis
Common names: Suurberg Bulbine (Eng.); suurbergkopieva (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Bulbine suurbergensis is an aloe-like plant, with drooping, sparsely branched stems and soft leaves, that hangs from the quartzitic sandstone cliff faces...

22 / 03 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pteronia paniculata

Pteronia paniculata
Common names: gum-bush (Eng.); gombos, gombossie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

...

22 / 03 / 2021 | Thabang Makola | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gladiolus papilio

Gladiolus papilio
Common names: butterfly gladiolus, goldblotch gladiolus (Eng.); ibutha, igulusha (Zul.).
Family: Iridaceae

When exploring the wetlands of the eastern regions of South Africa, these pinkish mauve, nodding flowers are sure to capture your attention....

15 / 03 / 2021 | Simone Chetty | CREW
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Pavetta zeyheri subsp. zeyheri

Pavetta zeyheri
Common names: grey-leaved bride’s bush, small-leaved bride’s bush, narrow-leaved bride’s bush (Eng.); fynblaarbruidbos (Afr.); igcegceleya, igceya (isiXhosa);
Family: Rubiaceae

A flowering plant from the genus Pavetta, P. zeyheri is a shrub or small tree that has beautiful, radiant, faintly scented white flowers in summer, that...

15 / 03 / 2021 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ixia vinacea

Ixia vinacea
Common names: purple Tulbagh ixia (Eng.); tulbagh-perskalossie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Ixia vinacea is a beautiful, critically endangered, winter-growing geophyte from the Western Cape....

08 / 03 / 2021 | Aarifah Jakoet | Compton Herbarium
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Encephalartos ngoyanus

Encephalartos ngoyanus
Common names: Ngoye dwarf cycad (Eng.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos ngoyanus is a small cycad with a subterranean stem that is kept underground by contractile roots. This cycad rarely produces suckers, unless...

08 / 03 / 2021 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Killickia grandiflora

Killickia grandiflora
Common names: Cathedral Peak killickia
Family: Lamiaceae

The relatively unknown small genus, Killickia, consists of four species: three are endemic to the Drakensberg Mountain Centre and the fourth species has...

01 / 03 / 2021 | Portia Kgaboesele | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Bulbine meiringii

Bulbine meiringii
Common names: Meiringspoort bulbine (Eng.); Meiringspoortkopieva (Afr.)

Family: Asphodelaceae

Bulbine meiringii is an obligate cliff-hanger, with soft, drooping leaves and solitary inflorescences bearing yellow flowers in spring. Plants hang from...

01 / 03 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Searsia incisa

Searsia incisa
Common names: rub-rub currant (Eng.); baardbessie (Afr.); unongqutu (isiXhosa)
Family: Anacardiaceae

Rub-rub currant is an attractive shrub, and, as the common name says, it has edible, furry fruits, that need to be rubbed in the hand a couple of times...

22 / 02 / 2021 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Ledebouria burkei subsp. burkei

Ledebouria burkei subsp. burkei
Common names: brown African hyacinth (Eng.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Dwarf bulbous plant usually with leaves pressed to the ground or presented close to the ground. The leaves are brownish-green and usually deep red underneath....

22 / 02 / 2021 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Protea speciosa

Protea speciosa
Common names: brown-beard sugarbush, brown-bearded protea (Eng); bruinbaard suikerkan, baardsuikerkan, baardsuikerbos, brandhout, kreupelboom, kreupelbos, kreupelbo
Family: Proteaceae

This is a beautiful, low-growing shrub that occurs on sandstone slopes in the mountains of the Western Cape; it produces magnificent flower heads that...

15 / 02 / 2021 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Vitex rehmannii

Vitex rehmannii
Common names: pipe-stem fingerleaf, pipe-stem tree (Eng.), pypsteelvingerblaar, pypsteelboom (Afr.), munyongatshifumbu (Tshivenda), umluthu (isiZulu), mokgale (Sepe
Family: Lamiaceae

Vitex rehmanni is categorized as a shrub and a tree and is endemic to southern Africa. It has  yellow-green to olive-green, aromatic leaves and white...

15 / 02 / 2021 | Thandy Makgolane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aloe kouebokkeveldensis

Aloe kouebokkeveldensis
Common names: Kouebokkeveld aloe (Eng.); kouebokkeveldaalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe kouebokkeveldensis is a rare, medium-sized, cliff-squatting aloe with a decumbent to ascending rosette of faintly spotted, striate, pale-green leaves...

08 / 02 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Aloe neilcrouchii

Aloe neilcrouchii
Common names: Karkloof grass aloe (Eng.); karkloof grasaalwyn (Afr.); inhlaba (Zul.); inkalane (Xho.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe neilcrouchii is the largest and the most robust of the grass aloes (section Leptoaloe), with long, leafless stems, rosettes of white-spotted leaves...

08 / 02 / 2021 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Ledebouria ensifolia

Ledebouria ensifolia
Common names: Eastern Cape African hyacinth (Eng.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is a fairly common species found mainly in the Eastern Cape Province; it is easily confused with several other species of Ledebouria, be sure to look...

01 / 02 / 2021 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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