Plants of the Week

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

Widdringtonia schwarzii

Growing in habitat
Common names: Baviaanskloof cedar, Willowmore cedar (Eng.); Baviaanskloofseder (Afr.)
Family: Cupressaceae

Widdringtonia schwarzii is an ancient giant from the Baviaanskloof Mountains, often with a gnarled trunk and spreading branches, which can reach 40...

23 / 04 / 2007 | C Cowell | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Schotia latifolia

Flowers
Common names: forest boer-bean, bush boer-bean (Eng.); bosboerboon, boerboontjie (Afr.); umGxam, umXamo (isiXhosa); umGxamu (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

The attractive pink blooms of the forest boer-bean are probably its most distinctive feature, unlike its close relatives, the weeping boer-bean (Schotia...

16 / 04 / 2007 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Phylica ericoides

Phylica ericoides
Common names: heath phylica, ericoid phylica ( Eng. ); hardebos (Afr.)
Family: Rhamnaceae

Phylica ericoides is a tough but decorative little shrub with dark green foliage and masses of showy white flower heads during autumn-winter, perfect...

16 / 04 / 2007 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Hesperantha sufflava

Plant in flower:Image copyright Peter Goldblatt
Common names: evening flower (Eng.); aandblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Once thought to be extinct in the wild, Hesperantha sufflava, a delicate, cormous perennial, was rediscovered on an urban development site in 2004, antithetically...

09 / 04 / 2007 | C Cowell | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Commelina africana

Commelina africana in flower
Common names: common yellow commelina (Eng.); geeleendagsblom (Afr.); idangabane (Zulu), lekzotswana (Xhosa); khopo, khotsoana, lekxopswana, tabola-lefalo (Southern
Family: Commelinaceae

Commelina africana differs from most other Commelina species by having pretty, small, canary-yellow flowers instead of the usual blue flowers, and also...

09 / 04 / 2007 | C Mudau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Lobelia aquaemontis

Lobelia aquaemontis at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Waterberg lobelia
Family: Lobeliaceae

Flowering with masses of sky-blue flowers, this delicate little lobelia gives a lovely display for many months in summer....

02 / 04 / 2007 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Garcinia livingstonei

Fruits
Common names: African mangosteen (Eng.); Afrika-geelmelkhout (Afr.); umPhimbi, uGobandlovu (isiZulu); mmimbi (xiTsonga); mokongono, mokononga (siPedi)
Family: Clusiaceae

From time to time one reads of individualists doing strange things and calling it 'living art'. Here is a tree which produces very tasty fruit,...

02 / 04 / 2007 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Pelargonium citronellum

Leaves
Common names: citronella pelargonium, lemon-scented pelargonium ( Eng. ); malva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium citronellum has decorative leaves that have a strong, clean, lemon fragrance....

26 / 03 / 2007 | Luyanda Mjuleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Helichrysum herniarioides

Flowerheads
Family: Asteraceae

Once you have seen Helichrysum herniaroides in the veld you will always remember how plentiful it is — almost like a groundcover in sandy areas,...

26 / 03 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Rhodocoma gigantea

Rhodocoma gigantea
Common names: dekriet, olifantsriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

With its upright growing stems and arching, bright green feathery foliage, Rhodocoma gigantea is one of the tallest and most attractive of the...

19 / 03 / 2007 | Karen Wall | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Disparago anomala

Flowering in the fynbos
Family: Asteraceae

Disparago plants are very common in the fynbos vegetation but they are often not noticed until they flower. Even then, they are not large and showy but...

19 / 03 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Helichrysum molestum

Plant in flower
Family: Asteraceae

Helichrysum molestum is one of the attractive everlastings with bright yellow flower heads. The taxonomy of this group caused Dr Hilliard so much trouble...

12 / 03 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aloe hardyi

Aloe hardyi in conservatory at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Penge aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe hardyi is a decorative pendent aloe with grey-green soft leaves in rosettes at the end of hanging stems. ...

12 / 03 / 2007 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Oscularia deltoides

Flowers and fruits of O.deltoides
Common names: dassievygie, sandsteenvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Oscularia deltoides is an easy-to-grow, succulent groundcover, ideal as an accent plant and for low-maintenance and water-wise gardens....

05 / 03 / 2007 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium
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Crotalaria capensis

Flowers. Photo copyright Geoff Nichols
Common names: Cape rattle-pod, Cape laburnum (Eng.); Kaapse klapperpeul (Afr.); bukheshezane (Zulu)
Family: Fabaceae

Clusters of large golden yellow flowers and seedpod bunches that rattle with dry seeds make this quick-growing shrub a delight in any garden....

05 / 03 / 2007 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium elegans

Growing in a pot
Common names: elegant pelargonium, stork's-bill (Eng.); malva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium elegans is one of several tufted pelargoniums that are suitable for outdoor pots....

26 / 02 / 2007 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dicoma anomala

Common names: fever bush, stomach bush (Eng.); maagbitterwortel, kalwerbossie, koorsbossie, gryshout, maagbossie (Afr.); hloenya, mohlasetse (South Sotho); inyongan
Family: Asteraceae

Dicoma anomala is a highly variable plant characterized by its stiff, sharp-pointed bracts, large flower heads and mauve-white florets surrounded by many...

26 / 02 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Searsia pyroides

Unripe fruits.Photo Copyright Geoff Nichols
Common names: common wild currant, fire-thorn karree (Eng.); gewone taaibos (Afr); motshakhutshakhu (North Sotho); koditshane (South Sotho); mogodiri (Tswana); muta
Family: Anacardiaceae

To the gardener who likes variety in the garden, Searsia pyroides should not be left out. This is a good species to provide textural variation in your...

19 / 02 / 2007 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Arctotheca populifolia

Flowers
Common names: beach pumpkin (Eng.); seepampoen, tonteldoek (blom), strandgousblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Arctotheca populifolia is a 'beach bum'! It is a common pioneer along the southern African coast. Have a look next time you are on the beach and...

19 / 02 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Pavetta schumanniana

Pvetta schumanniana:Image Geoff Nichols
Common names: poison bride's bush (Eng.); gifbruidsbos (Afr.); Sawoti (siSwati); Tshituku ( Venda ); isiMbuzana (isiZulu)
Family: Rubiaceae

What? A poisonous (or poisoned) bride? Surely that is the starting-point of a third-rate horror movie, or a children's fairy tale! No, in fact the...

12 / 02 / 2007 | Hugh Glen | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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