Plants of the Week

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E.g., 22/12/2024
E.g., 22/12/2024

Drosera aliciae

Rosettes of Drosera aliciae
Common names: shepherd's crook sundew, alice sundew (Eng.); sondou (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

Drosera aliciae, with its interesting mounding habit and its long-lived nature, is a wonderful carnivorous plant and is endemic to South Africa....

10 / 09 / 2012 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera capensis

Drosera capensis leaf
Common names: Cape sundew (Eng.); sondouw (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

Glistening dewdrops adorn the strap-like leaves of the sundew, enticing insects to their deaths.  ...

18 / 02 / 2008 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera cistiflora

Form from Niewoudtville
Common names: poppy-flowered sundew (Eng.);doublom, snotrosie (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

The magnificent flower, colour and variety of Drosera cistiflora will captivate any carnivorous plant enthusiast....

01 / 10 / 2012 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera cuneifolia

Flower
Common names: peninsula sundew (Eng.); skiereiland sondouw, vlie & euml; vangertjie (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

Drosera cuneifolia is a winter-growing sundew that is restricted to the Cape Peninsula....

10 / 06 / 2013 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera pauciflora

Flower
Common names: sundew (Eng.); sondouw, vlieë vangertjie (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

Drosera pauciflora is another large-flowered, winter-growing carnivorous plant from South Africa....

29 / 10 / 2012 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera trinervia

Drosera trinervia palnt in situ
Common names: small sundew (Eng.); klein sondouw (Afr.)
Family: Droseraceae

This opportunistic little Drosera is one of the most common carnivorous plant species in South Africa and can be found growing amongst fynbos during winter...

20 / 08 / 2012 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Drosera xerophila

Drosera xerophila
Common names: xeric sundew, dryland sundew (Eng.)
Family: Droseraceae

Drosera xerophila is one of the stunning sundews, belonging to the Droseraceae family, characterised by a rosette of leaves that lie close to the ground...

16 / 09 / 2024 | Nyameka Dlawu | Harold Porter NBG
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Dryopteridaceae

Polystichum sp.
Common names: wood fern family
Family: Dryopteridaceae

The Dryopteridaceae is a large and diverse fern family with a near cosmopolitan distribution. Arachniodes (East Indian holly fern), Cyrtomium (net-veined...

09 / 02 / 2004 | Koos Roux | Compton Herbarium
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Dumasia villosa var. villosa

Dumasia villosa var. villosa pods and seeds
Common names: black bean (Eng.); ukhalimele (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

The beautiful blue seeds of dumasia are what caught my eyes and immediately I thought people should know about this beautiful plant. Also, its linear,...

03 / 08 / 2015 | Tandiwe Nkonki | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Duvernoia aconitiflora

Common names: yellow pistolbush, lemon pistolbush (Eng.); geelpistoolbos, lemoenpistoolbos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Duvernoia aconitiflora is now called Justicia aconitiflora. ...

15 / 01 / 2018 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Duvernoia adhatodoides

Common names: pistol bush (Eng.); pistoolbos (Afr.); ihlwalane, isepheka, ihlwehlwe (Xhosa); uthabe, lothabe (Zulu)
Family: Acanthaceae

Duvernoia adhatodoides is now Justicia adhatodoides ...

02 / 03 / 2015 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Dymondia margaretae

Dymondia margaretae foliage
Common names: carpet daisy, silver carpet (Eng.); tapytmadeliefie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Dymondia margaretae is a one-of-a-kind, hardy, carpet-forming groundcover with a compact, neat habit and stunning blue-grey foliage. It is perfect for...

02 / 11 / 2009 | Norma Lucas | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dyschoriste rogersii

Dyschoriste rogersii
Common names: bushveld ribbon flower (Eng.); blou-bosklapper (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A small, evergreen shrub with a very long flowering season, best in semi-shade and with very few natural enemies....

01 / 04 / 2019 | Tumelo Mofokeng | Pretoria NBG
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Dyschoriste setigera

In flower
Common names: Fairy Stars
Family: Acanthaceae

This is a delightful low-growing groundcover up to 150-300mm high that requires little or no maintenance and is particularly suitable for water-wise gardens...

31 / 03 / 2014 | Zoleka Maphanga | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dyschoriste thunbergiiflora

Dyschoriste thunbergiflora
Common names: purple bells (Eng.); persklokkies (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A versatile, evergreen shrub for semi-shade, with attractive dark green foliage and eye-catching, large, blue-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers, occurring...

04 / 04 / 2016 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ehretia rigida

Ehretia rigida in flower. Image Geoff Nicols
Common names: puzzle bush (Eng.); deurmekaarbos (Afr.); umHlele (Zulu); Morobe (Northern Sotho); iBotshane (Xhosa); Mutepe (Venda)
Family: Boraginaceae

Ehretia rigida is a deciduous small tree or shrub, usually multi-stemmed, with an untidy rounded crown. It has tangled branches which arch downwards or...

23 / 12 / 2003 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ehrharta calycina

Ehrharta calycina
Common names: common ehrharta, common veld grass (Eng.); gewone ehrharta, rooigras, polgras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

Ehrharta calycina is usually perennial with strongly geniculate culms (stems), red-flowers and a creeping, branched rhizome....

01 / 09 / 2008 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | Pretoria NBG
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Ekebergia capensis

Fruit (Photo Geoff NIchols)
Common names: Cape ash, dogplum (E), essenhout (A), mmidibidi (NS), umnyamatsi (SW), nyamaru (Ts)
Family: Meliaceae

This is a large attractive evergreen tree that has been used as a street tree in many towns and cities of South Africa, Uganda and the Democratic Republic...

27 / 12 / 2004 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ekebergia pterophylla

Flowers and berry
Common names: rock ash (Eng.); rotsessenhout (Afr.); maGwedla (Swahili)
Family: Meliaceae

This is a tidy, attractive, evergreen shrub/tree, with sweetly scented flowers, bearing berries....

07 / 11 / 2005 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elaeodendron croceum

Fruit of E. croceum
Common names: saffron; saffron wood, forest saffron (Eng.); saffraan, bossafraan (Afr.)
Family: Celastraceae

Elaeodendron croceum is an attractive, evergreen tree with a neat, upright shape which can with care be cultivated in gardens large and small....

07 / 06 / 2004 | Robert Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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