Plants of the Week

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E.g., 24/11/2024
E.g., 24/11/2024

Phylica gnidioides

Phylica gnidioides
Common names: pink phylica, pink hardleaf (Eng.); pienk-hardebos (Afr.)
Family: Rhamnaceae

Phylica is a genus predominantly found in the Cape flora with about 138 species, of which 90% are endemic. The genus exhibits a significant range of shrub...

13 / 06 / 2016 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Protea subvestita

Protea subvestita
Common names: waterlily sugarbush (Eng.); lippeblomsuikerbos (Afr); igwanishe, isiqane (isiXhosa); isiqalaba (isiZulu)
Family: Proteaceae

This is a protea from the summer rainfall region that makes a wonderful large shrub or small tree in the garden; it produces its flowerheads in summer...

29 / 08 / 2016 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium lobatum

Pelargonium lobatum
Common names: vine-leaved pelargonium (Eng.); aandblom, aandkaneelbol, kaneelbol, nachtbloem (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

This attractive, hardy, geophytic pelargonium is ideally suited for sandy fynbos gardens, rockeries or pots....

26 / 09 / 2016 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium articulatum

Pelargonium articulatum, cream or white flowers in early summer
Common names: cliff pelargonium (Eng.); kransmalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Pelargonium articulatum is seldom noticed except when it is in flower, then it is one of the showiest of pelargoniums....

26 / 09 / 2016 | Lize Wolfaardt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Protea cryophila

Protea cryophila
Common names: snow protea, snowball protea (Eng.); sneeuprotea, sneeublom (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Protea cryophila is a sprawling, densely tufted shrub with attractive pink and white flowerheads and leathery, ascending, inward-folded leaves. It is confined...

24 / 10 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Polhillia ignota

Polhillia ignota
Common names: due to the rarity of this species, there are no common names recorded for it.
Family: Fabaceae

Only known from two records made over 80 years ago, this lost species was recently rediscovered by the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW)....

14 / 11 / 2016 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW
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Protea longifolia

Protea longifolia
Common names: long-leaf sugarbush, long-leaf protea (Eng.); langblaarsuikerbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A fast-growing protea, which is easily recognized by its extended central mass of flowers with black-bearded tips, and various flower colours of yellow-green,...

12 / 12 / 2016 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium rapaceum

Pelargonium rapaceum, unusual pea-flower-like flowers
Common names: mountain potato (Eng.); bergpatat, bergaartappel, norra, norretjie (Afr.); !norra (Nama)
Family: Geraniaceae

This hardy geophytic pelargonium has attractive foliage, unusual flowers and makes an ideal plant for waterwise gardens in winter rainfall areas....

26 / 12 / 2016 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Pelargonium tricolor

Pelargonium tricolor
Common names: three-colour storksbill, three-colour pelargonium (Eng.); gesiggiemalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

A fascinating, low-growing, floriferous shrublet that displays some of the most amazing natural variation of flower colour forms and shapes....

16 / 01 / 2017 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Protea odorata

Protea odorata
Common names: Swartland sugarbush
Family: Proteaceae

A small, champion shrub that produces very pleasant pink flower heads, pointing upwards or sideway of the branches, that have a slight sweet fragrance,...

13 / 02 / 2017 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Protea nana

Protea nana (Marian Oliver)
Common names: mountain rose, mountain-rose sugarbush (Eng.); bergroos, warebergroos, skaamblom, skaamroos, skaamrosie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A delightful shrub, with soft needle-shaped leaves that shimmer in the wind, while its cup-shaped, crimson flower heads, shyly nod. ...

20 / 03 / 2017 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pyrrosia schimperiana

Pyrrosia schimperiana growing on a cliff at Mariepskop, Blyde River Canyon.
Common names: canyon fern (Eng.); afgrondvaring (Afr.)
Family: Polypodiaceae

A rare fern, only known from the Blyde River Canyon in the Mpumalanga Province, confined to sheer cliffs. The plant grows in small, dense clusters, with...

27 / 03 / 2017 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Platylophus trifoliatus

Platylophus trifoliatus
Common names: white-alder, white-els (Eng.); witels, witelsboom, witte-els, witte-elsboom, witte-elshout (Afr.) Synonyms: Weinmannia trifoliata L.f.; Trimerisma tr
Family: Cunoniaceae

Finding large specimens of this tree in their habitat, may make you think that you have wandered into a forest inhabited by the characters found in ‘The...

17 / 04 / 2017 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Protea lacticolor

Protea lacticolor 
Common names: Hottentot’s Holland sugarbush, hottentot sugarbush, hottentot white sugarbush (Eng.), witsuikerbos, hottentotwitsuikerbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A large shrub or small tree from the fynbos, with creamy white or pink flower heads in autumn to winter, that can be used for screening, or as a focal...

24 / 04 / 2017 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium vanderwaltii

Pelargonium vanderwaltii
Common names: Otjihipa pelargonium (Eng.); Otjihipa malva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

A rare, cliff-dwelling perennial, known only from sheer, south-facing cliffs of the Otjihipa Mountains in the Kaokoveld of northern Namibia. It is a cliff-squatter,...

29 / 05 / 2017 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium paniculatum

Pelargonium paniculatum
Common names: no common names on record
Family: Geraniaceae

A robust, succulent shrub that is ideal for water-wise gardens or rockeries, in arid regions....

24 / 07 / 2017 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Karoo Desert NBG
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Protea roupelliae subsp. hamiltonii

Protea roupelliae subsp. hamiltonii
Common names: dwarf silver sugarbush (Eng.); ranksilwersuikerbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A dwarf, procumbent shrub, ideal for a rockery or grassland gardens; it produces many low branches, with the stem spreading horizontally, and magnificent...

07 / 08 / 2017 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium hirtum

Pelargonium hirtum
Common names: hairy pelargonium, fine-leaved pelargonium
Family: Geraniaceae

This is a hardy, waterwise pelargonium ideal for sandy and rocky gardens. It is also well-suited to pots....

04 / 09 / 2017 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium alchemilloides

Pelargonium alchemilloides
Common names: lady’s mantle-leaved pelargonium, pink trailing pelargonium (Eng.); wildemalva, rankmalva (Afr.); inkubele (Xhosa); amanzemnyama, ishwaga, umangqeng
Family: Geraniaceae

...

02 / 10 / 2017 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Pelargonium sericifolium

Pelargonium sericifolium
Common names: silky pelargonium (Eng.); naaldekoker (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

This very rewarding stunner has all you will ever need. For starters it requires low maintenance and its silky leaves provide interest throughout the year....

09 / 10 / 2017 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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