Plants of the Week

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

Strophanthus amboensis

Strophanthus amboensis
Common names: elephant vine, knob-stemmed poisonrope (Eng.); knopstamgiftou (Afr.); omhundure (Otjiherero); mangala-ndumbu (Lunyaneka, Muila & Muquilenge); muzua-ng
Family: Apocynaceae

When the Elephant Vine is well maintained, it can grow into a reasonable-sized bushy tree with extraordinary pretty, faintly but sweet-scented flowers...

03 / 09 / 2018 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aeollanthus haumannii

Aeollanthus haumannii
Common names: Otjihipa rock-sage (Eng.); Otjihipa-klipsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Aeollanthus haumannii is an aromatic, branched succulent with sticky, green leaves, bearing whitish mauve, 2-lipped flowers in autumn, only known from...

03 / 09 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Argyrolobium angustissimum

Argyrolobium angustissimum
Common names: Paarl Fire Pea
Family: Fabaceae

Argyrolobium angustissimum is an unassuming Cape peaflower which until relatively recently had been presumed possibly extinct.Figure 1. Argyrolobium angustissimum...

27 / 08 / 2018 | Randall Josephs | Compton Herbarium
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Arctotis angustifolia

Arctotis angustifolia
Common names: narrow-leaved arctotis (Eng.); smalblaar gousblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This silvery-leaved perennial will light up many a garden with its bright orange or white flowers in spring....

27 / 08 / 2018 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria viscosa

Ledebouria viscosa (Connal Oosterbroek)
Common names: sticky-leaf African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This curious and enigmatic species of Ledebouria is highly unusual in the genus because of its viscous leaves which become sticky when wet, causing sand...

20 / 08 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Gyrocarpus americanus subsp. africanus

Gyrocarpus americanus subsp. africanus
Common names: propeller tree, helicopter tree (Eng.); helikopterboom (Afr.); mutama, mudzoudzhou (Tshivenda).
Family: Hernandiaceae

An interesting tree with a smooth, grey to silvery white trunk, and ovoid fruit crowned with 2 wings, which look remarkably like the slender wings of a...

20 / 08 / 2018 | Matome Leboho | Pretoria NBG
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Pachycarpus campanulatus

Pachycarpus campanulatus var. campanulatus showing the inflorescence with pendent flowers.
Common names: cluster bells, toad plant, fairy bell pachycarpus, thick-fruit (Eng.); trosklokkies (Afr.); ishongwe (isiZulu).
Family: Apocynaceae

Pachycarpus campanulatus is a showy plant with large, hanging, bell-shaped flowers of up to 5 per umbel and exuding milky latex, like most plants in the...

13 / 08 / 2018 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Euphorbia nesemannii

Euphorbia nesemannii (Werner Voigt)
Common names: Nesemann's euphorbia (Eng.); melkpol (Afr.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

A spiny, tuberous rooted species with a nearly cylindrical body, most of which is below the ground....

13 / 08 / 2018 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Karoo Desert NBG
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Brachystelma foetidum

Brachystelma foetidum
Common names: Hottentots bread (Eng); Hotnotsbrood, Hottentotsbrood (Afr); seru (Sesotho).
Family: Apocynaceae

A small, herbaceous perennial from the grasslands, with a large, flattened, underground, potato-like tuber, and unusual purple-brown and greenish yellow...

06 / 08 / 2018 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG
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Dombeya tiliacea

Dombeya tiliacea
Common names: forest wild pear, forest dombeya, little-dog-rose (Eng.); bosblompeer, bosdrolpeer (Afr.), ibunda (isiZulu), utyibo (isiXhosa)
Family: Malvaceae

A pretty shrub or small tree, with white flowers in late summer to autumn, suitable for sun or semi-shade....

06 / 08 / 2018 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Bersama tysoniana

Bersama tysoniana (Richard Boon)
Common names: white ash, common white ash, common bersama, forest white ash, bitterbark, wild quinine tree (Eng.); witessenhout, gewone witessenhout, basternieshout
Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama tysoniana is an attractive tree because of its dense foliage, russet-brown new growth and knobbly fruits that split into quarters, exposing red...

30 / 07 / 2018 | Nonkululeko Ntshangase | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Veltheimia capensis

Veltheimia capensis
Common names: quarobe, sand lily (Eng.); kwarobe, sandlelie (Afr.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Veltheimia capensis is an autumn- and winter-flowering bulb with striking rosettes of wavy or curled, grey-blue leaves and pendent, pink-speckled flowers....

30 / 07 / 2018 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gibbaeum heathii

Gibbaeum heathii
Common names: baby bums (Eng.); bababoutjies, hondebalvygie, hondebal, volstruiswater (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

One of the curious miniature succulents that grow in between quarzitic stones and is endemic to the Klein Karoo. It is one of the most popular species...

23 / 07 / 2018 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Ceriops tagal

Ceriops tagal (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Indian mangrove (Eng), Indiese wortelboom (Afr), isinkaha (Zul.)
Family: Rhizophoraceae

A compact branched tree or shrub with a distinctive root growth, fascinating growth habit and seeds, occurring in the tidal estuaries, lagoons and swamps,...

23 / 07 / 2018 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Canthium spinosum

Canthium spinosum (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: thorny turkey-berry, coastal turkey-berry, coastal canthium, thorny rock-alder (Eng.); doringklipels, doringbokdrol (Afr.); ubuchopho benja, isiphamba
Family: Rubiaceae

A shrub or small tree with spiny branches, pale grey bark and edible berries that are also popular with birds. It makes an excellent hedge, and the wood...

16 / 07 / 2018 | Cathbert Makgakga | National Herbarium Pretoria
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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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Ledebouria cooperi

Ledebouria cooperi
Common names: Cooper’s African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A widespread and common species usually associated with water or moist vegetation types, Cooper’s African Hyacinth is an attractive, small bulbous...

09 / 07 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Aloe kamnelii

Aloe kamnelii
Common names: Doorn River aloe (Eng.); Doringrivier-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe kamnelii is a shrubby, ascending aloe, with glossy green leaves and yellow flowers in spring, that is endemic to the Doorn River of the Western Cape,...

09 / 07 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lachnospermum imbricatum

Lachnospermum imbricatum
Common names: purple-centre everlasting (Eng.); blombossie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A beautiful shrub with pink or purple-centred, daisy-like flowers surrounded by a ring of white, papery bracts. Occurring in the extreme southwestern Cape,...

02 / 07 / 2018 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Erica lutea

Erica lutea
Common names: yellow-rice heath, rice heath (Eng.); geelrysheide, rysheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

A small fynbos shrublet which has masses of shiny white to yellow flowers in late summer and autumn....

02 / 07 / 2018 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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