Plants of the Week

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E.g., 13/11/2024
E.g., 13/11/2024

Sesamum eriocarpum

Dicerocaryum eriocarpum (Nicola van Berkel, iSpot)
Common names: devil’s thorn (Eng.); beesdubbeltjie, duiwelsdoring, seepbos (Afr.); intekelane (Ndebele); makanagwe (Tswana)
Family: Pedaliaceae

Sesamum eriocarpum is a perennial herb which creeps along the ground in the Kalahari, with beautiful, bright mauve flowers that magnificently compliment...

30 / 01 / 2017 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Serruria zeyheri

Serruria zeyheri
Common names: matchstick spiderhead (Eng.); vuurhoutjiespinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A rarely seen, rounded shrub with impressive, loosely aggregated flowerheads made up of flowers that look like matchsticks before they open....

20 / 06 / 2022 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria villosa

Serruria villosa
Common names: golden spiderhead, valley spiderhead (Eng.); gouespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria villosa is a charming sweetly scented shrublet suited to the wild fynbos garden....

16 / 04 / 2012 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria triternata

Serruria triternata flowerheads and foliage
Common names: Tulbagh spiderhead, dill-leaf serruria (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

The Tulbagh spiderhead is a charming fynbos shrub suited to an informal indigenous garden. It is rather nondescript when not flowering but in spring time...

22 / 08 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria trilopha

Serruria trilopha
Common names: trident spiderhead, sand spiderhead, snake-stem spiderhead, three-crested spiderhead (Eng.); slangspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered member of the protea family makes an unusual addition to sandy coastal gardens....

13 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria rosea

Serruria rosea flower heads
Common names: rose spiderhead, bridesmaid spiderhead (Eng.); strooimeisie, bruidsbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria rosea is one of the showiest spiderheads, producing a spectacular display of up to 20 rose-pink tightly clustered flower heads per stem....

23 / 08 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria glomerata

Serruria glomerata shrub
Common names: cluster spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria glomerata is an attractive fynbos shrub that belongs in the Protea Family and occurs naturally only on the Cape Peninsula. Its compact rounded...

02 / 08 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria furcellata

Serruria furcellata
Common names: Kraaifontein spiderhead (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered spiderhead is being squeezed from its home by urbanization near greater Cape Town....

06 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria fucifolia

Serruria fucifolia shrub
Common names: northern spiderhead (Eng.); sandveldspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria fucifolia is a charming medium-sized fynbos shrub. During late winter and early spring it is covered in sweetly-scented silver-pink flowers....

18 / 07 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria florida

Serruria florida in flower
Common names: blushing bride, pride of Franschhoek (Eng.); skaamblom, trots van Franschhoek (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

The delicate beauty of Serruria florida justifies its recognition as the most beautiful of the genus....

12 / 11 / 2007 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria fasciflora

Flowers
Common names: common pin spiderhead; speldespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria fasciflora is a beautiful shrublet that produces sweetly scented, silvery pink flowers all year round; definitely a very rewarding garden...

25 / 08 / 2014 | Phumza Bavuma | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria elongata

Serruria elongata
Common names: long-stalk spiderhead (Eng.); langsteelspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Among the elegant fynbos plants belonging to the Proteaceae family is Serruria elongata, also known as the long-stalk spiderhead, with its silvery pink,...

15 / 08 / 2022 | Nomndeni Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria decipiens

Serruria decipiens
Common names: sandveld spiderhead
Family: Proteaceae

The Sandveld spiderhead is a small rounded fynbos shrub with clusters of sweetly scented, creamy white flowers in spring; it is well suited to fynbos gardens...

07 / 12 / 2015 | Zitobile Sikova | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria cyanoides

Serruria cynaroides.Photo Protea Atlas
Common names: Wynberg spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

The genus Serruria is one of the genera of the protea family, and is found only in the Cape Floral Kingdom. ...

14 / 07 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria candicans

Serruria candicans
Common names: shiny spiderhead (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

...

22 / 04 / 2019 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria brownii

Shrub in flower
Common names: Bottlebrush spiderhead ; fleskwasbos (Afr.)  
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria brownii is a charming and unusual shrublet. It can be tricky to cultivate but when growing happily will reward you with dense soft foliage...

31 / 12 / 2013 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria aemula

Serruria aemula
Common names: strawberry spiderhead
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria aemula once occurred in huge stands on the Cape Flats near Cape Town from Milnerton to Rondebosch. Sadly this beautiful species has been reduced...

11 / 11 / 2002 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria adscendens

Bush in flower
Common names: Kleinmond spiderhead
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria adscendens is an attractive, rounded shrub of slopes and flats, in the coastal fynbos between Betty's Bay and Bredasdorp in the Western Cape....

17 / 11 / 2014 | Nosiphelele Patricia Mapukata | Harold Porter NBG
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Seriphium plumosum

Slangbos
Common names: silver stoebe (Eng.); slangbos, vaalbossie, Khoi-kooigoed (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This intricately branched, heath-like shrublet is well known to hikers who use the plant to make soft mattresses when sleeping outdoors. It might be better...

14 / 06 / 2004 | L Badenhorst | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Senegalia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha

Leaves and seedpods
Common names: white-stem thorn (Eng.); witdoring (Afr.); mooka, mpho-kamagwa (Northern Sotho); xigatlu, nkowankowa (Tswana)?; tshikwalo (Venda); umnga (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

This is one of the most attractive acacias in Africa. It often has one stem with branching commencing fairly high up, and a neat flattish crown. It has...

13 / 06 / 2005 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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