Plants of the Week

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E.g., 02/12/2024
E.g., 02/12/2024

Begonia homonyma

Begonia homonyma
Common names: large-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); idlula (Zul.)
Family: Begoniaceae

A soft, fleshy perennial with a swollen stem base, red-tinged stems and white or pink flowers in summer. It is an attractive, shade garden plant and pot...

13 / 07 / 2020 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Berchemia discolor

Berchemia discolor (Brian KD2, iSpot)
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
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Berchemia zeyheri

Ripening fruits. Image Geoff Nichols
Common names: red ivorywood, purple ivory, pink ivory (Eng.); rooi-ivoor, rooihout (Afr.); monee (Sesothosa Leboa); umNeyi (siSwati); xiniyani (Xitsonga); moye (Set
Family: Rhamnaceae

The Berchemia zeyheri tree is valuable to the people, animals and birds of South Africa....

30 / 05 / 2005 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Bergbambos tessellata

Bergbambos tessellata  (= Thamnocalamus tessellatus)
Common names: Drakensberg bamboo, wild bamboo, African bamboo, southern mountain bamboo (Eng.); bergbamboes (Afr.); uduli, uqalo (Xho.)
Family: Poaceae

This is one of only two species of bamboo that are indigenous to South Africa. It is a small, tough bamboo that will tolerate wind and frost, preferring...

15 / 04 / 2019 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Bergeranthus scapiger

Bergeranthus scapiger
Common names: polvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A dwarf, clump-forming, water-wise succulent, with smooth, glossy leaves and branched clusters of golden-yellow flowers in winter and spring. It is grown...

13 / 01 / 2020 | Sihle Nqentsu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Berkeya barbata

Berkheya barbata
Common names: coast thistle (Eng.); kus-dissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A beauty to admire but painful to touch: handle with care. These sunflower-like daisies often make very attractive displays, but the thorns on the leaves,...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Berkheya griquana

Bright yellow flower head of Berkheya griquana
Common names: East Griqualand African thistle, East Griqualand berkheya (Eng.); Griekwaland-Oos-bergdissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This robust yellow African Thistle flourishes in the grasslands of East Griqualand.Fig. 1. Bright yellow flower head of Berkheya griquana. ...

27 / 02 / 2023 | Kaveesha Naicker | CREW
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Berkheya multijuga

Berkheya multijuga
Common names: spiny berg thistle, thorny mountain thistle (Eng.); doringrige-bergdissel (Afr.); mohatollo ntsoa-ntsane-ea-loti (seSotho); imboziso emhlophe, ukhakha
Family: Asteraceae

The roughness of the bright green leaves in a rosette formation makes the Berkheya multijuga irresistible to watch....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Berkheya purpurea

Flowers
Common names: purple berkheya (Eng.); bloudisseldoring (Afr.); Sehlohlo (SS)
Family: Asteraceae

A prickly thistle, Berkheya purpurea turns into a surprisingly beautiful perennial when flowering in midsummer....

31 / 01 / 2005 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berkheya setifera

Berkheya setifera (Photo Marinda Koekemoer)
Common names: buffalo-tongue thistle (Eng.); rasperdissel, rasperdisseldoring (Afr); ikhakhasi, ulimi-lwenkomo, ulimi-lwenyathi (isiZulu); indlebe-lenkomo (isiXhosa
Family: Asteraceae

A robust perennial, with profuse, bright yellow flowers and bristly leaves; one of the 71 species that are found in South Africa out of the 75 species...

24 / 02 / 2020 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Bersama lucens

Fruits of Bersama lucens. Photograph G Nichols
Common names: glossy white ash (Eng.); blinkblaarwitessenhout (Afr.); isindiyandiya (Xhosa); undiyaza (Zulu)
Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama lucens is not a common garden plant, rather a specialist specimen that still needs to be promoted in the garden fraternity....

09 / 07 / 2007 | Giles Mbambezeli | 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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Berula repanda

Berula repanda
Common names: Water parsnip
Family: Apiaceae

Berula repanda is a luxuriantly foliaged plant, ideal for a garden pond or wet patch, and it is in full flower now....

11 / 02 / 2013 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium
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Berzelia abrotanoides

Berzelia abrotanoides in flower
Common names: redlegs (Eng.); rooibeentjies, vleiknoppiesbos, kolkol, fonteinbos (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

Berzelia abrotanoides is a distinctive and beautiful, softly textured shrub endemic to the Western Cape. Displays of masses of fluffy ball-like flower...

03 / 12 / 2012 | Victoria Wilman | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Berzelia albiflora

Berzelia albiflora
Common names: coffee-scented berzelia, coffee bush, white-flowered brunia (Eng.); knopbossie, fonteinbossie, stompies (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

Whenever this beautiful shrub is placed on our specimen table, it is often greeted with surprise as if it has never been seen before. It is easy to overlook,...

26 / 04 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berzelia cordifolia

Berzelia cordifolia flowerheads
Common names: Potberg kolkol, heart-leaf berzelia (Eng.); kolkolbossie (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

A small, upright shrub with clusters of ball-shaped, white flower heads in spring....

09 / 01 / 2023 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berzelia lanuginosa

Common names: common button bush, common berzelia (Eng.); vleiknoppiesbos, vleikolkol, kolkolbos (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

Berzelia lanuginosa is one of twelve species in the genus Berzelia in the Bruniaceae, one of the few families that is endemic to the Cape floral kingdom...

07 / 03 / 2005 | Roger Tuckeldoe | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Berzelia stokoei

Flowers of Berzelia stokoei
Common names: red kolkol (Eng.); rooistompie (Afr.)
Family: Bruniaceae

The striking red flowers of Berzelia stokoei are a sight to behold when walking in the tranquil mountains of the Overberg region. This plant was previously...

06 / 08 / 2007 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG
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Blechnum tabulare

 Young Blechnum tabulare
Common names: mountain deer fern, mountain blechnum, false tree fern (Eng.); valsboomvaring (Afr.)
Family: Blechnaceae

This is a large attractive fern for the shady garden....

25 / 03 / 2002 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Blighia unijugata

Clusers of bright pink to red, leathery, pear-shaped capsules.
Common names: triangle-tops (Eng.); driehoektolletjies (Afr.); musadema (Shona); umdlaguva (isiZulu)
Family: Sapindaceae

A medium to large evergreen tree, with sweetly scented flowers that attract butterflies to the garden, followed by pink to red, pear-shaped fruit that...

11 / 07 / 2016 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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