Plants of the Week

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E.g., 05/04/2025

Tephrosia kraussiana

Tephrosia kraussiana in habitat
Common names: inSangwana (isiZulu); isiPhungo (isiZulu: smelling)
Family: Fabaceae

Tephrosia kraussiana is relatively easy to cultivate. Its pinkish-purple flowers will add colour to gardens....

05 / 03 / 2012 | Anisha Dayaram | TSP
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Tephrosia pondoensis

Tephrosia pondoensis (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Pondo poison-pea (Eng.); pondogifertjie, basterkurkbos (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

...

05 / 11 / 2018 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Tephrosia zoutpansbergensis

Tephrosia zoutpansbergensis
Common names: Soutpansberg poison pea (Eng.); Soutpansberg-gifertjie (Afr.); murumbulashedo (Tshivenda)
Family: Fabaceae

Tephrosia zoutpansbergensis is a bushy shrub that belongs in the Fabaceae (legume family), with yellowish orange flowers in spring and summer followed...

24 / 03 / 2025 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG
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Terminalia phanerophlebia

Fruits (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: Lebombo cluster-leaf (Eng.); Lebombotrosblaar (Afr.); amaNgwe-amnyama, amaNgwe-omphofu (isiZulu); mambonjwane (SiSwati)
Family: Combretaceae

A decorative shrub to small tree with a hard, heavy brown wood. It is an ideal tree for street planting....

11 / 08 / 2014 | F Nonyane | Pretoria NBG
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Terminalia sericea

Terminalia sericea
Common names: mususu (Venda); silver cluster-leaf or silver terminalia (Eng.); vaalboom (Afr.)
Family: Combretaceae

Terminalia sericea is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree which grows up to 9 m, but individual trees can reach 23 m in height....

06 / 02 / 2012 | T.T. Masupa | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Tetradenia riparia

Tetradenia riparia
Common names: misty plume bush, ginger bush (English); gemmerbos, watersalie (Afrikaans); iboza, ibozane (Zulu)
Family: Lamiaceae

An encounter with Tetradenia riparia in flower in the wintry, dry bush is most surprising. There is the impression of soft lilac mist on bare...

25 / 06 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Tetragonia decumbens

Flowers,stems and leaves
Common names: dune spinach (Eng.); duinespinasie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

This widespread dune plant is edible and also performs an important role in stabilizing the sand, enabling the dune to develop into a friendly environment...

12 / 04 / 2004 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Tetragonia fruticosa

Tetragonia fruticosa in flower. Photo Nanna Joubert
Common names: sprawling sea coral, trailing dune-spinach (Eng.); kinkelbossie, kinkelklappers, kleinsaadklappiesbrak, klimopkinkelbossie, porseleinbos, slaaibos, wa
Family: Aizoaceae

A bushy shrub with a yellow-green appearance and a red tinge, and in bright sunlight it appears to glisten, because the plant is covered in striking, minute...

19 / 12 / 2022 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Thamnochortus acuminatus

Thamnochortus acuminatus
Common names: goldhead thatchreed (Eng.)
Family: Restionaceae

A dwarf, densely tufted restio, which shows off its large inflorescences, golden-tan sheaths and bracts in spring, when flowering. ...

29 / 06 / 2020 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus bachmannii

Thamnochortus bachmannii
Common names: Namaqua thatching reed, steenbok reed (Eng.); steenboksriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Eye-catching bronze-brown flowerheads nod in the breeze as the sun sets over the distant mountains-they capture the rays and turn them into a fire dance....

08 / 05 / 2006 | Monique Twine | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus cinereus

Female plant in flower
Common names: silver restio (Eng.); silwerriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This is a medium to tall plant, which can be used equally well in a border or as an accent plant. The plants are very decorative with silvery foliage like...

31 / 05 / 2004 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus fraternus

Thamnochortus fratenus
Common names: dune thatching reed
Family: Restionaceae

This is a striking and attractive grass-like member of the large restio family. The plants are very uniform in height and the floral bracts are a rich...

08 / 04 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus insignis

Thamnochortus insignis, male plant.
Common names: Albertinia thatching reed (Eng.); dekriet, mannetjiesriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

A stunning accent plant with its slender stems tipped with small, golden-brown inflorescences in late summer, and water-wise too!...

16 / 04 / 2001 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus lucens

Thamnochortus lucens male
Common names: jackal-tail restio (Eng.); jakkalsstert (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This perennial dwarf restio is a plant that will add some dazzle to your garden. The inflorescences are a shiny bronze colour, guaranteed to catch your...

02 / 03 / 2009 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thamnochortus spicigerus

Thamnochortus spicigerus
Common names: large thatching reed (Engl.); duineriet, olifantsriet, dekriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Thamnochortus spicigerus is a striking, tufted- or tussock-forming perennial that will make a lovely feature in your garden. The dark brown spikelets will...

20 / 04 / 2015 | Phumza Bavuma | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Themeda triandra

Rooigras grasslands
Common names: red grass (Eng.); rooigras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

This is a lovely green to blue-green tufted grass that is often flushed with pink and turns red with age. Some forms have bright yellow culms (stems)....

12 / 04 / 2004 | L Fish | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Thereianthus bulbiferus

Thereianthus bulbiferus, patent flowers
Common names: bulb-bearing summer pipes (Eng.); somerpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

An attractive plant with moderately dense spikes of light to mid-blue flowers that blossom in abundance in burnt veld, which makes it difficult to miss....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Thesium viridifolium

Thesium viridifolium
Common names: green root-thug
Family: Santalaceae

A much-branched, densely leafy shrub bearing attractive, small, white flowers that are crowded in dense rounded heads at the tips of the branches....

25 / 11 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Thespesia acutiloba

Thespesia acutiloba, lemon yellow hibiscus-like flowers in late summer. (Photo Geoff Nichols)
Common names: small-leaved portia tree, wild tulip tree, small-leaved tulip tree (Eng.); kleinblaarportiaboom, kleinblaartulpboom, wildetulpboom (Afr.); umthombe (i
Family: Malvaceae

An attractive tree with handsome foliage, showy lemon-yellow flowers in summer and decorative red fruits. This tree is not well known among the general...

02 / 01 / 2017 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Thilachium africanum

Thilachium africanum
Common names: cucumber bush (Eng.); komkommerbos (Afr.); nkobva (Tso.); isikonke (Zul.)
Family: Capparaceae

An awesome small tree with the most attractive flowers....

22 / 04 / 2019 | Sephatle Evans Molekoa | Lowveld NBG
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