Plants of the Week

Browse through all previous entries of Plants Of The Week

  • Sort by date added
  • Sort Alphabetically
Go to Plants of the Week Advanced Search
E.g., 25/11/2024
E.g., 25/11/2024

Cyanotis speciosa

Cyanotis speciosa
Common names: doll’s powderpuff (Eng.), bloupoeierkwassie (Afr.), khopo, theepe-balingoana (seSotho), inkombo, ingonga, umakhothigobile, umakotigoyile, udabulamaf
Family: Commelinaceae

Cyanotis speciosa is a perennial ground cover that provides all-year-round colour with its exquisite powderpuff flowers that are either blue, pink or purple....

08 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Cyathula natalensis

Cyathula natalensis
Common names: Natal cyathula, KZN hookweed (Eng.); Natalserondeklits (Afr.); munamumuhulwane (Tshivenda); xinama, rinama (Xitsonga)
Family: Amaranthaceae

A creeping herb cherished as a love charm in South Africa, as well as southern Mozambique by the Tsonga people. This herb’s sticky touch, thanks...

08 / 07 / 2024 | Eunezia Sitoe | CREW
Read More

Curio muirii

Close-up of the leaves of Curio muirii
Common names: cliff curio (Eng.); kransharpuis (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Curio muirii is a trailing to pendent cliff hanger from the Gouritz River and its tributaries. The succulent leaves are bluish green, often crowded towards...

08 / 07 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Cyrtanthus sanguineus

Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Common names: Kei lily, Inanda lily, Nahoon lily, large red cyrtanthus, fire lily (Eng.), Keilelie, vuurlelie (Afr.), isilawu esimhlophe (isiXhosa).
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Kei lily is a bulbous plant that forms clumps of strappy leaves. It does well as a bedding plant in light shade, providing colour to any dull flower bed...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Ruttya fruticosa

Ruttya fruticosa
Common names: jammy mouth, rabbit ears, bunny ears, hummingbird plant, orange bird, orange dragon, monkey face, African azalea (Eng.), jembekkie (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

An attractive, dense, evergreen shrub with glossy light to dark green leaves, covered with an abundance of red to dark orange or yellow, two-lipped, tubular...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
Read More

Crassula nemorosa

Crassula nemorosa in flower, Badspoort
Common names: dwarf cliff-crassula (Eng.), dwergkransplakkie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula nemorosa is a dwarf, cliff hugging, geophytic, summer-deciduous succulent, from subterranean tubers. The leaves are bluish-green and broad, with...

15 / 07 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Erica oblongiflora

Erica oblongiflora
Common names: Agulhas green heath, sticky green heath (Eng.) groentaaiheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica oblongiflora gives a beautiful show of greenish-yellow flowers for an extended period from late summer into winter, which makes it ideal for companion...

22 / 07 / 2024 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Alepidea genus

Alepidea amatymbica
Common names: alepidea, tinsel flower (Eng.); kalmoes (Afr.); ikhathazo (isiZulu); iqwili (isiXhosa); lesoko (South Sotho); inkatsankatsa (Swazi)
Family: Apiaceae

Alepidea is one of only two African-endemic genera within the Saniculeae tribe of the Apiaceae, the other being its sister genus Arctopus. Southern Africa...

22 / 07 / 2024 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Plectranthus spicatus

Family: Lamiaceae

See Coleus subspicatus...

24 / 07 / 2024 | | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Protea scabra

Protea scabra
Common names: sandpaper-leaf sugarbush (Eng.); skurweblaargrondsuikerbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Protea scabra is a mat-forming, flowering groundcover, commonly known as sandpaper-leaf sugarbush, with cream and brown flowerheads mainly in late winter...

29 / 07 / 2024 | Caroline Marima | Harold Porter NBG
Read More

Coleus subspicatus

Coleus subspicatus
Common names: spike spurflower, long-spiked spurflower, lavender spurflower (Eng.); ritsblom spoorsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Coleus subspicatus is a versatile, attractive and resilient plant that offers both aesthetic appeal and everyday garden benefits, that has become a popular...

29 / 07 / 2024 | Sihle Nqentsu | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Ranunculus baurii

Common names: Drakensberg buttercup, nasturtium-leaved buttercup, large-leaved ranunculus (Eng.); qojoana (seSotho)
Family: Ranunculaceae

See Peltocalathos baurii...

31 / 07 / 2024 | | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Agathosma dielsiana

Agathosma dielsiana flowers are visited by bees
Common names: Diels buchu (Eng.); Diels-boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

...

05 / 08 / 2024 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Peltocalathos baurii

Peltocalathos baurii
Common names: Drakensberg buttercup, nasturtium-leaved buttercup, large-leaved ranunculus (Eng.); qojoana (seSotho)
Family: Ranunculaceae

A rarely seen South African relative of the buttercup from high in the Drakensberg Mountains, with rounded fleshy leaves and bright yellow flowers in spring...

05 / 08 / 2024 | Bontle Matetoane | Free State NBG
Read More

Homeria miniata

Common names: two-leaf Cape tulip, red tulp, poison bulb (Eng.), pronktulp, rooitulp, geeltulp, kraaitulp (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

see Moraea miniata...

06 / 08 / 2024 | | Free State NBG
Read More

Crassula badspoortensis

Crassula badspoortense in flower, Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: cliff sosatie-crassula (Eng.), krans-sosatie, krans-inryger (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula badspoortensis is a rare, sparingly branched succulent shrublet becoming a cliff-hanger, with stems up to 400 mm long, greyish-green, disc-like...

09 / 08 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Gorteria diffusa

Gorteria diffusa
Common names: beetle daisy (Eng.); katoog (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Commonly known as the beetle daisy, Gorteria diffusa is characterised by intricate dotted patterns on the ray florets, placed around the central disk of...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Khanya Ntondini | Compton Herbarium
Read More

Moraea miniata

Moraea miniata
Common names: two-leaf Cape tulip, red Cape tulip, poison bulb (Eng.), pronktulp, rooitulp, geeltulp, kraaitulp (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A stunning plant with delicate petals that flowers in masses during late winter and spring, turning patches of the veld bright salmon pink. A member of...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Nokuthula Michelle Siwelane | Hantam NBG
Read More

Crassula brachystachya

Crassula brachystachya in flower in habitat
Common names: cliff-crassula (Eng.), kransrosie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula brachystachya is a rare, cluster-forming, cliff-hugging succulent to 70 mm high, with leaves in a rosette and an ascending, spike-like inflorescence...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Gladiolus sericeovillosus

Gladiolus sericeovillosus
Common names: large speckled gladiolus (Eng.); isidwa, udwendweni, isidwa esincane, umlunge (siZulu); bloupypie (Afr.); sidvwana (isiSwazi)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus sericeovillosus is a medium-sized, summer-flowering Gladiolus with flower spikes up to 1.5 m tall with dull red, lilac, pink, white or cream...

19 / 08 / 2024 | Lesego Tlhatlhelang | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More