Plants of the Week

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E.g., 06/12/2024
E.g., 06/12/2024

Monilaria chrysoleuca

Monilaria chrysoleuca
Common names: string of pearls, pea mesemb (Eng.); ertjievygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

An eye-catching succulent with unusual jointed stems that resemble a beaded necklace, and leaves that sparkle in sunlight....

28 / 08 / 2017 | R Powell | Compton Herbarium
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Muraltia spinosa

Muraltia spinosa
Common names: tortoise berry (Eng.); skilpadbessie, duinebessie, bokbessie (Afr.); mmaba (Tswana); cargoe (Nama)
Family: Polygalaceae

The tortoise berry is a striking plant when covered in its masses of dainty purple flowers. Attractive and unusual spiny foliage, pretty red edible fruits...

05 / 09 / 2005 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Muraltia scoparia

Muraltia scoparia
Common names: tortoise berry, dune berry (Eng.); skilpadbessie, duinebessie (Afr.)
Family: Polygalaceae

Identifying the species Muraltia spinosa and M. scoparia (formerly in the genus Nylandtia) using herbarium material only, can be misleading, as the habit...

07 / 11 / 2005 | Christien Bredenkamp | Pretoria NBG
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Melinis repens

Melinis repens
Common names: Natal red top (Eng.); bergrooigras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

An attractive, yet hardy tufted grass, which requires little maintenance for a showy display in spring and summer....

25 / 06 / 2018 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Maytenus procumbens

Maytenus procumbens, fruits. (Ernst van Jaarsveld)
Common names: dune koko tree (Eng.); duinekokoboom (Afr.); umphono-phono (isiXhosa) umphophonono; (isiZulu)
Family: Celastraceae

As the species name suggests, Maytenus procumbens is a tidy and procumbent coastal shrub or small tree. It is very pleasing to the eye especially with...

10 / 09 / 2018 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Mimetes splendidus

Mimetes splendidus
Common names: splendid pagoda (Eng.); pragstompie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A gorgeous, shimmering, silver-foliaged shrub, that vibrates with luminescent light on its salmon-pink flowerheads, during the winter season....

04 / 03 / 2019 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
Common names: common ice plant, crystalline ice plant, rosa de jericho (Eng.); brakslaai, brakvy, noeta, olifantslaai, slaai, slaaibos, slaaibossie, soutslaai, vols
Family: Aizoaceae

This is an extremely stress-tolerant, prostrate, succulent annual with distinctive, glistening bladder cells on its leaves and stems, that look like ice...

15 / 07 / 2019 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Marasmodes trifida

Marasmodes trifida
Common names: trifid autumn-aster
Family: Asteraceae

This little known and not so beautiful plant is highly threatened; it is easily identifiable from other members of the genus by its leaves that split into...

05 / 08 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Melasphaerula graminea

Melasphaerula graminea
Common names: fairy bells (Eng.); baardmannetjie, bokbaardjie, feeklokkie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

This attractive, winter-growing, bulbous plant, with its lax sprays of half-nodding, long lasting, grass-like flowers, is ideal for hanging baskets....

25 / 11 / 2019 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Manulea tomentosa

Manulea tomentosa
Common names: woolly manulea (Eng.); duine vingertjies (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

This is a perennial herb that can blossom in the seedling stage. It has grey, woolly, fleshy leaves, conspicuous finger-like heads of brownish yellow or...

30 / 12 / 2019 | Wanga Ncise | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Maerua angolensis subsp. angolensis

Maerua angolensis subsp. angolensis
Common names: bead-bean tree, bead-pod-tree, knobbly-bean tree (Eng.); knoppiesboontjieboom (Afr.); umenwayo, umgodithi (Zulu); umvitsi (Swati.); mogôgwane, mooman
Family: Capparaceae

This frost and drought resistant tree, with its scented flowers from mid-winter until early summer, will attract butterflies and insect-eating birds, in...

06 / 07 / 2020 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Microloma sagittatum

Microloma sagittatum
Common names: firecracker vine, wax creeper (Eng.); bokhoring, bokhorinkies, bokmaellie, heuningblommetjie, kannetjie, melkblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

The uniquely attractive flowers of Microloma sagittatum draw attention to this otherwise insignificant, plain looking, slender climber that grows in between...

09 / 11 / 2020 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Monsonia vanderietiae

Monsonia vanderietiae
Common names: Albany bushman’s candle, Albany candle bush (Eng.), Albany boesmankers, grootkersbos (Afr.); igcegceleya, igceya (isiXhosa)
Family: Geraniaceae

A beautiful, stunted, low growing, tough-looking perennial with shiny leaves, succulent greyish stems and large, delicate-looking, creamy white flowers...

17 / 01 / 2022 | Nomama Mei | Kwelera NBG
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Monoculus monstrosus

Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.).
Family: Asteraceae

This plant is now called Osteospermum monstrosum (Burm.f.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt...

11 / 07 / 2022 | | Kwelera NBG
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Moraea hiemalis

Moraea heimalis. Photo Richard Boon
Common names: winter yellow moraea
Family: Iridaceae

A threatened species that is endemic to the grasslands of central KwaZulu-Natal, its striking, rich golden yellow flowers stand out in the winter landscape...

12 / 12 / 2022 | Mlondi Sikhosana | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Marasmodes dummeri

Marasmodes dummeri
Common names: whip autumn-aster
Family: Asteraceae

The extremely small, adpressed leaves of Marasmodes dummeri and the terminal, clustered flower heads make it distinct from other species of the same genus....

09 / 01 / 2023 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Mentha aquatica

Mentha aquatica by Olexandr Ghryb
Common names: water mint, wild mint, wild thyme, marsh mint, aromatic thyme (Eng); waterment, kruisement, kruistement (Afr), amabunu, imbozisa, umaliwane, umayime,
Family: Lamiaceae

A splendorous plant with purple flowers clustered in balls on the internodes of the stems, to entice anyone passing by the marshy field. Not only are you...

13 / 02 / 2023 | Swinky Nkosi | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Melianthus elongatus

Melianthus elongatus in flower in Kirstenbosch
Common names: strandveld honeyflower, dwarf honeyflower, small melianthus, turkey bush (Eng.); kruidjie-roer-my-nie, truitjie (Afr.)
Family: Melianthaceae

...

20 / 02 / 2023 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Macledium spinosum

Macledium spinosum
Common names: spiny doll’s protea (Eng.); steekblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Cushion-forming, grey-felted shrublet with involucral bracts forming stout, spreading spines....

01 / 05 / 2023 | Thuli Makhoba | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Maclura africana

Maclura africana fruits
Common names: African Osage-orange, thorny mulberry (Eng.); Afrikasoetlemoen (Afr.); mupulumbu (Tshivenda); pumbula (Tsonga);
Family: Moraceae

A dioecious, evergreen, spiny, climbing shrub whose stems provide a yellow dye....

31 / 07 / 2023 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG
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