Plants of the Week

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

Eucomis pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii

Eucomis pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii
Common names: giant pineapple lily
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is the largest of all pineapple lilies in the world. The tall flower spike together with its long leaves, are the reason why it is so popular....

25 / 03 / 2019 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Cylindrophyllum comptonii

Cylindrophyllum comptonii
Common names: Little Karoo finger vygie (Eng.); vingervygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Cylindrophyllum comptonii is a tough, mat-forming, cushion-like, succulent plant and thrives in nutrient-poor soils. With its finger-like leaves, this...

25 / 03 / 2019 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Grewia retinervis

Grewia retinervis
Common names: Kalahari raisin, false sandpaper raisin, Kalahari donkey berry, Kalahari grewia, Kalahari raisin bush, kalahari-sand grewia, kalahari sand raisin (Eng
Family: Malvaceae

Grewia retinervis is a hardy shrub with bright yellow flowers in summer and shiny, reddish brown edible fruits....

18 / 03 / 2019 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Pelargonium heterophyllum

Pelargonium heterophyllum
Common names: because of its rarity there are no recorded common names
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium heterophyllum is a rare species from the Renosterveld, and one of South Africa’s most endangered plants....

18 / 03 / 2019 | Joti Daya | CREW
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Albuca deaconii

Albuca deaconii
Common names: yellow cliff albuca (Eng.); krans-slymstok (Afr.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Albuca deaconii is a solitary to cluster-forming, bulbous cliff-hanger from the southeastern Cape. The long, leek-like leaves and extended racemes, both...

14 / 03 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Phymaspermum appressum

Phymaspermum appressum
Common names: none
Family: Asteraceae

Phymaspermum appressum is a drought resistant, Cape daisy shrub with striking white, fading to pink and finally purple, flowers....

11 / 03 / 2019 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium
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Encephalartos cerinus

Encephalartos cerinus (Willem Froneman)
Common names: waxen cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos cerinus is a small cycad with a subterranean stem that may be partly exposed when growing among rocks. Leaves and cones are covered by a...

11 / 03 / 2019 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Euphorbia flanaganii

Euphorbia flanaganii
Common names: Transkei medusa’s head, Flanagan’s euphorbia (Eng.); vingerpol (Afr.); nhlehle, isihlehle (Zul.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

...

04 / 03 / 2019 | Ntuthuko Mabuya | Pretoria NBG
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Mimetes splendidus

Mimetes splendidus
Common names: splendid pagoda (Eng.); pragstompie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A gorgeous, shimmering, silver-foliaged shrub, that vibrates with luminescent light on its salmon-pink flowerheads, during the winter season....

04 / 03 / 2019 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Salvia africana-caerulea

Common names: blue sage, wild sage, African sage, purple sage (Eng.); blousalie, bloublomsalie, Afrikaansesalie, perdesalie, wildesalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Salvia africana-caerulea is now called Salvia africana....

27 / 02 / 2019 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Salvia africana-lutea

Common names: golden sage, beach sage, dune sage, sand sage (Eng.); bruinsalie, sandsalie, strandsalie, geelblomsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Salvia africana-lutea is now called Salvia aurea...

27 / 02 / 2019 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ipomoea cairica var. cairica

Ipomoea cairica
Common names: coast morning glory, five-fingered morning glory, Cairo morning glory, Messina creeper, mile-a-minute, (Eng.); ihlambe, ijalamu, intana, umaholwana (i
Family: Convolvulaceae

The coast morning glory, with its big, purple, trumpet-shaped flowers with a dark eye in the centre, makes it close to impossible to pass it by, and it...

25 / 02 / 2019 | Sibahle Gumede | Kwelera NBG
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Tulbaghia acutiloba

Tulbaghia acutiloba
Common names: wild garlic (Eng.); wildeknoffel (Afr.); isihihi (Xho.); ishaladi lezinyoka (Zul.); motsuntsunyane, sefothafotha (sSo.)
Family: Alliaceae

A lovely, small and delicate bulbous perennial, with garlic-scented, edible leaves and sweetly fragrant flowers almost all year round....

25 / 02 / 2019 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal 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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Ceropegia crassifolia var. crassifolia

Ceropegia crassifolia var. crassifolia
Common names: leathery-leaved ceropegia
Family: Apocynaceae

Members of the genus Ceropegia in the strict sense, are characterized by tubular flowers specially adapted for the temporary capture of insects for pollination...

18 / 02 / 2019 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Ipomoea oenotheroides

Ipomoea oenotheroides
Common names: Christmas flower (Eng.); krismisblom (Afr.)
Family: Convolvulaceae

An eye-catching, drought-resistant shrublet with bright pink ‘morning glory’ flowers in summer and silvery stems sprouting from inedible tuberous...

11 / 02 / 2019 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG
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Erica grandiflora subsp. grandiflora

Erica grandiflora subsp. grandiflora
Common names: golden heath (Eng.); goueheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

A sturdy fynbos shrub with outstanding bright orange flowers at the hottest, driest time of the year....

11 / 02 / 2019 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lapeirousia anceps

Lapeirousia anceps
Common names: sandveld cabong, cabung, chabi (Eng.); pienk koringblom (Afr.); cabong (Namaqua)
Family: Iridaceae

A small bulbous plant that is drought tolerant and thrives on low rainfall, transforming the veld with a spectacular display of masses of tubular, white...

04 / 02 / 2019 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Barleria oxyphylla

Barleria oxyphylla
Common names: turf barleria
Family: Acanthaceae

Rare but interesting....

04 / 02 / 2019 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG
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Ledebouria ovatifolia subsp. scabrida

Ledebouria ovatifolia subsp. scabrida
Common names: Mdumbeni River Valley African Hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

An unusual flat-leaved Ledebouria which has leaves pressed flat on the ground and the upper surface of the leaves adorned with tongue-shaped papillae which...

28 / 01 / 2019 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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