Plants of the Week

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E.g., 25/11/2024
E.g., 25/11/2024

Hessea speciosa

Hessea speciosa
Common names: coconut umbrella lily (Eng.); sambreeltjies (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

A striking, small, bulbous plant with rounded heads of white or pink, coconut scented flowers in autumn, found in southern Namibia and the Northern Cape...

31 / 05 / 2021 | Bhongolethu Mtengwana | TSP
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Chloris virgata

Chloris virgata
Common names: blue grass, feather finger grass, feathered chloris, hay grass, old land grass, sweet grass, white grass (Eng.); blougras, hooigras, katstertgras, klo
Family: Poaceae

Chloris virgata is a pioneer grass that grows on bare ground and is used as pasture and hay grass, commonly known as feather finger grass and distinguishable...

07 / 06 / 2021 | Creselda Nyeleti Shirinda | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Crassula capensis

Crassula capensis
Common names: Cape snowdrop (Eng.); skaamblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

A tiny deciduous perennial, with spectacular, snowy white, star-shaped flowers in winter....

07 / 06 / 2021 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG
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Diospyros natalensis

Diospyros natalensis
Common names: acorn jackal-berry, acorn diospyros, small-leaved jackal-berry (Eng.); akkerjakkalsbessie, fynblaar jakkalsbessie, smalblaarjakkasbessie (Afr); umhlay
Family: Ebenaceae

A beautiful, densely branched, evergreen shrub or small tree, with attractive, glossy, dark green leaves, small white flowers in spring and yellowish to...

14 / 06 / 2021 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Brunsvigia natalensis

Brunsvigia natalensis
Common names: Natal candelabra flower (Eng.); kandelaarblom (Afr.); umbhola (Zul.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

A striking bulbous plant, endemic to southern Africa, with large umbels bearing 30 to 60, attractive, red or pale pink flowers....

14 / 06 / 2021 | Mulweli Maswoliedza | Compton Herbarium
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Pseudarthria hookeri

Pseudarthria hookeri
Common names: velvet bean, bug-catcher (Eng.); fluweelboontjie (Afr.); uphandosi, uqhonqo, uqwashu (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

This large shrub has vibrant, eye catching flowers in late summer. It earned the common name ‘bug-catcher’ because it is reputed to catch bedbugs...

21 / 06 / 2021 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Dovyalis longispina

Dovyalis longispina
Common names: Coast Kei-apple (Eng), Kuskei-appel, Natalappelkoos (Afr.), umNyusa (isiZulu), imQokolo (isiXhoza)
Family: Salicaceae

‘The Dovyalis with the long spines’, that is how one can make sense of its botanical name. With its bright orange-red, edible fruits and very...

21 / 06 / 2021 | Mpho Mathalauga | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Trachyandra tabularis

Trachyandra tabularis
Common names: Table Mountain cliff trachyandra (Eng.); kranskool (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

An obligatory cliff-dweller, forming clusters of rosettes of firm, green, linear, succulent leaves that hang from the south-facing sandstone cliffs of...

24 / 06 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Penaea mucronata

Penaea mucronata
Common names: noughts-and-crosses (Eng.)
Family: Penaeaceae

A resprouting shrub, with branches coppicing from a woody base, triangular leaves and yellow to red flowers in spring and summer; found in fynbos, and...

28 / 06 / 2021 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Paranomus dregei

Paranomus dregei
Common names: scented sceptre (Eng.); parfuumsepter (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A splendid shrub, with scented flowers that attract many insects, and very much catches the eye with its reddish involucral bracts, creamy flowers and...

28 / 06 / 2021 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erica ericoides

Erica ericoides
Common names: honey heath, erica heath (Eng.); heuningheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

This evergreen shrub produces masses of small pink flowers, with a distinctive, honey-like scent, in late summer, from January to May, and attracts lots...

05 / 07 / 2021 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pavonia columella

Pavonia columella
Common names: pink pavonia (Eng.); indole ebomvu (isiZulu).
Family: Malvaceae

Pavonia columella, a hardy and aromatic subshrub, shows off its delicate, white to pink flowers all year round....

05 / 07 / 2021 | Ashton Welcome | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Haworthia angustifolia var. baylissii

Haworthia angustifolia var. baylissii
Common names: Witrivier Gorge haworthia (Eng.); Witrivier-dwergaalwyntjie (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Haworthia angustifolia var. baylissii is a dwarf cliff-hugger, with numerous small rosettes of dull green, triangular-lanceolate, succulent leaves and...

09 / 07 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Knowltonia vesicatoria

Common names: blisterleaf (Eng.); brandblaar, katjiedrieblaar, tandpynblaar, peperwortel (Afr.)
Family: Ranunculaceae

Knowltonia vesicatoria is now called Anemone vesicatoria....

09 / 07 / 2021 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Knowltonia capensis

Common names: blistering leaves (Eng.); brandblare, katjiedrieblaar (Afr.)
Family: Ranunculaceae

Knowltonia capensis is now called Anemone knowltonia ...

09 / 07 / 2021 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Knowltonia bracteata

Family: Ranunculaceae

Knowltonia bracteata is now called Anemone bracteata....

09 / 07 / 2021 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Acmadenia alternifolia

Acmadenia alternifolia
Common names: Knysna porcelain flower (Eng.); Knysna-duineboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

A robust, fine-textured, floriferous, aromatic shrublet from the fynbos....

12 / 07 / 2021 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Anemone bracteata

Anemone bracteata
Common names: blistering leaves (Eng.), brandblaar (Afr.), umvuthuza (isiZulu), umvuthuza (isiXhosa)
Family: Ranunculaceae

Anemone bracteata is an understory plant, with densely hairy stems and leaf stalks, and greenish white flowers in summer; the whole plant is harvested...

12 / 07 / 2021 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Haworthiopis attenuata var. attenuata ‘Enon’

Haworthiopsis attenuata ‘Enon’
Common names: Enon haworthiopsis (Eng.); Enon-dwergaalwyntjie (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Haworthiopis attenuata var. attenuata ‘Enon’ is a rare, ornamental, cliff-hugger, with numerous rosettes of dull green, triangular-lanceolate,...

15 / 07 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus

Cyrtanthus elatus
Common names: fire lily (Eng.); brandlelie, vuurlelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus is an African genus of bulbous plants, comprising an extraordinary range of attractive flower forms, in a wide range of colours. Many species...

19 / 07 / 2021 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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