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., 14/06/2025
E.g., 14/06/2025

Gazania linearis

Gazania linearis
Common names: narrow-leaved treasure flower, tufted gazania, bensli (Eng.) botterblom, gansblom, gousblom (Afr.); ubendle, uhlubi (isiXhosa); isiphepane, ububendle,
Family: Asteraceae

Gazania linearis, commonly known as the treasure flower, is a vibrant perennial that brings a splash of colour to gardens with its striking bright yellow...

12 / 05 / 2025 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Albuca cremnophila

Albuca cremnophila in flower, Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: Baviaanskloof cliff-albuca (Eng.), Baviaanskloof-kransslymstok.
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Albuca cremnophila is a solitary to cluster-forming, bulbous cliff-hanger with long, narrow pendent leaves that grow to more than 1 m long and white...

19 / 05 / 2025 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Portulaca grandiflora

Portulaca grandiflora
Common names: moss rose, moss-rose purslane, eleven-o’clock, rose moss, sun rose (Eng.); potjielekkers (Afr.).
Family: Portulacaceae

Portulaca grandiflora, an evergreen succulent native to South America, is widely known as an ornamental plant and has naturalised in parts of South Africa....

19 / 05 / 2025 | Aviwe Khuzani | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
Read More

Aloe komatiensis

Aloe komatiensis inflorescence and flowers covered with a powdery bloom
Common names: Komati aloe, Malelane aloe (Eng.); Komatipoort-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe komatiensis is a summer-flowering, stemless succulent with leaves arranged in a tight spiral, creating a striking rosette of vibrant green leaves,...

26 / 05 / 2025 | Ziphezinhle Madonsela | Lowveld NBG
Read More

Aloe liliputana

Aloe liliputana in habitat
Common names: Luphutana aloe (Eng.), Luphutana-aalwyn (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe liliputana is the world’s smallest aloe, barely 130 mm tall when in flower, with thin, wiry leaves spreading from a central rosette, and small...

26 / 05 / 2025 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Kniphofia pauciflora

Kniphofia pauciflora
Common names: dainty poker, few-flowered poker (Eng.); umathunga (isiZulu)
Family: Asphodelaceae

This few-flowered, small poker with slender, lax flowerheads of gently flaring tubular yellow flowers, is one of the rarest species of Kniphofia. It is...

02 / 06 / 2025 | Ndumiso Hlongwane | Pretoria NBG
Read More

Aloe saundersiae

Aloe saundersiae in flower in habitat
Common names: Nkandla grass aloe, Saunders’ grass aloe, dwarf grass aloe (Eng.); Nkandla-grasaalwyn (Afr.).
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe saundersiae is among the smallest aloes of the world, with ascending spreading, linear leaves from a central rosette and small pinkish white flowers...

02 / 06 / 2025 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri

Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri
Common names: green-leaved cliff-adromischus (Eng.), groen-skilpadvoetjie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus cristatus var. zeyheri is a dwarf, cliff-hugging succulent from the southeastern parts of South Africa. The plants are dwarf, rosette-forming,...

09 / 06 / 2025 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Tritonia nelsonii

Tritonia nelsonii
Common names: Nelson’s tritonia, stripe-leaf triton (Eng.)
Family: Iridaceae

A breathtaking flowering plant which boasts vibrant orange-red flowers that bloom in late summer, adding delicate beauty and lovely colour to gardens and...

09 / 06 / 2025 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Camphora officinarum

Camphor tree in Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: camphor tree, camphor laurel (Eng.); kanferboom (Afr.); ulosilina (isiZulu)
Family: Lauraceae

The camphor tree is a large, evergree tree with a dense canopy of glossy, light green leaves, sprays of small white to pale yellow flowers in spring and...

11 / 06 / 2025 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Cinnamomum camphora

Common names: camphor tree, camphor laurel (Eng.); kanferboom (Afr.); ulosilina (isiZulu)
Family: Lauraceae

This species is now called Camphora officinarum ...

11 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Combretum afrum

Combretum afrum tree in fruit, Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: Cape bushwillow (Eng.); Kaapse vaderlandswilg (Afr.); umdubu (isiXhosa)
Family: Combretaceae

Small to medium-sized tree, 5–10 m tall, with shiny green, drooping, willow-like foliage, greenish yellow flowers in spherical heads in spring, and...

11 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Combretum caffrum

Common names: Cape bushwillow (Eng.); Kaapse vaderlandswilg (Afr.); umdubu (isiXhosa)
Family: Combretaceae

See Combretum afrum...

11 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Cryptocarya myrtifolia

Cryptocarya myrtifolia trunk
Common names: myrtle quince, myrtle-leaved wild-quince, camphor wild-quince (Eng.); mirtekweper, wildekanferboom (Afr.); umthungwa, unthungwane (isiXhosa); umngqabe
Family: Lauraceae

Evergreen tree, 10–20 m tall, leaves green above, bluish below, very small cream flowers in clusters in early summer followed by reddish fruits....

11 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Faurea macnaughtonii

Faurea macnaughtonii
Common names: Terblans beechwood, Egossa beech, Macnaughton's beech (Eng.); terblans, terblanshout, egossabeukehout, bosboekenhout, rooiboekenhout (Afr.); icuba-let
Family: Proteaceae

A tall, evergreen, forest tree to 25 m, with a dense, rounded crown. Bark smooth and pale becoming dark and rough. Leaves lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate,...

11 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Ficus macrophylla

Ficus macrophylla in Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: Moreton Bay Fig, Australian banyan (Eng.); Australiaanse baniaan, queenslandsevy (Afr.)
Family: Moraceae

A large evergreen tree with a massive, heavily buttressed trunk, large, dark green, leathery leaves and small figs. A tree may reach up to 60 m tall with...

12 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba
Common names: ginkgo, maidenhair tree (Eng.); ginkgoboom, nooienshaarboom, vrekboom (Afr.); i-ginkgo (isiXhosa)
Family: Ginkgoaceae

A long-lived, tall, slender, sparsely branched deciduous tree up to 20–35 m tall with an angular crown and distinctive fan-shaped leaves that turn...

13 / 06 / 2025 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Maytenus undata

Maytenus undata
Common names: koko tree (Eng.); kokoboom (Afr.); umkokane, umnqayimpofu, umgora, inqayi-elibomvu (isiXhosa); idohame, inqayi-elibomvu, igqwabali, ikhukhuze (isiZulu
Family: Celastraceae

A bushy shrub or small tree with a rounded crown, glossy leaves, unarmed branches, sweet-smelling flowers in summer and yellow to reddish-brown fruits...

16 / 06 / 2025 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More