Plants of the Week

Adansonia digitata

Common names: baobab, Cream of Tartar tree, monkey-bread tree, lemonade tree (Eng.); kremetartboom(Afr.); isimuku, umShimulu, isiMuhu (Zulu); ximuwu (Tsonga); mowan

Family: Malvaceae

Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, the baobab tree is steeped in a wealth of mystique, legend and superstition wherever it occurs in...

10 / 02 / 2003 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Dracaena aletriformis

Common names: large-leaved dragon tree; grootblaardrakeboom (Afr.)

Family: Ruscaceae

The large-leaved dragon tree is a wonderful, showy foliage plant with large strap-shaped leaves in rosettes at the tips of the branches, ideal for shady...

10 / 02 / 2003 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ficus sur

Common names: broom cluster fig (Eng.); besem-trosvy (Afr.); mogo-tshetlo (North Sotho); umkhiwane (Xhosa); umkhiwane (Zulu)

Family: Moraceae

The broom cluster fig is a key element in the environment providing medicine, food, shade and shelter for all nature of animals, large and small. This...

10 / 02 / 2003 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Catha edulis

Common names: Bushman's tea (Eng.); Boesmanstee (Afr.); umhlwazi (Zulu); iqgwaka (Xhosa); khat (Arabic)

Family: Celastraceae

This is a very attractive, small deciduous tree, with bright green leaves that turn to a pleasing yellowish colour in autumn. Its beauty is also complemented...

17 / 02 / 2003 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG

Gardenia thunbergia

Common names: white gardenia, forest gardenia, wild gardenia (Eng.), witkatjiepiering, buffelsbal, kannetjieboom (Afr.), umKhangazi (Xhosa), umValasangweni, umKhwak

Family: Rubiaceae

...

17 / 02 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Harpochloa falx

Common names: caterpillar grass (Eng.), ruspergras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

The caterpillar grass, Harpochloa falx, is a wonderful garden plant, which forms neat, dark green tussocks which persist throughout the year and produce...

17 / 02 / 2003 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Englerophytum magalismontanum

Common names: Transvaal milkplum (Eng.); stamvrug (Afr.), motlhatswa (Tswana); mohlatswa (Northern Sotho); munombelo (Venda); amanumbela (Zulu); umnumbela (Swati) O

Family: Sapotaceae

This species is better known by its Afrikaans name, stamvrug and is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, a thirst quencher to...

24 / 02 / 2003 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Erica jasminiflora

Common names: jasmine heath (Eng.); trompetheide (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

Erica jasminiflora forms an erect spindly shrub growing up to 600 mm high. ...

24 / 02 / 2003 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG

Melinis nerviglumis

Common names: bristle-leaved red-top grass (Eng.); ferweelgras (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

This pretty, tufted grass with its bluish leaves and shining pink inflorescences is an attractive addition to any border or wild garden. It is particularly...

24 / 02 / 2003 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Polyxena corymbosa

This plant is now known as Lachenalia corymbosa...

01 / 03 / 2003 | | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Lampranthus affinis

Common names: cliff lampranthus (Eng.), kransvygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Lampranthus affinis is a striking, easily grown shrublet, with large, pale pink flowers, and is one of only a few mesembs that will flower in shady...

03 / 03 / 2003 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Pterocarpus rotundifolius

Common names: Muhataha (Tshivenda), round-leaved bloodwood (Eng.), dopperkiaat (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Flowers of Pterocarpus rotundifolius are strongly honey-scented. Bee-keepers like to plant this tree as a good source of nectar and food for bees....

03 / 03 / 2003 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Pretoria NBG

Nerine masoniorum

Common names: Masons' nerine, Transkei lily

Family: Amaryllidaceae

A bulbous plant with a profusion of pink flowers, Nerine masoniorum is ideally suited to cultivation in pots and window-boxes. ...

10 / 03 / 2003 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Schotia afra var. afra

Common names: Karoo boer-bean (Eng.), Karoohuilboerboon (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

This delightful, small, water-wise tree is a must for the home gardener who wants an attractive evergreen tree. ...

10 / 03 / 2003 | Roger Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG

Brunsvigia orientalis

Common names: candelabra flower, red candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily, chandelier plant, sore-eye flower (Eng.), ajuinbol, koningskandelaarblom,

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Brunsvigia orientalis is one of the exciting surprises experienced in the late summer, when little else is flowering. The emergence of large pinkish...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG

Welwitschia mirabilis

Common names: welwitschia (Eng.), tumboa, n'tumbo (Angolan), tweeblaarkanniedood (Afr.), !kharos (Nama/Damara), nyanka (Damara), khurub (Nama), onyanga (Herero)

Family: Welwitschiaceae

Weird, peculiar, wonderful, strange, bizarre, fascinating, and of course, unique, are the kind of words that are used to describe the welwitschia. It is...

17 / 03 / 2003 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Nivenia stokoei

Common names: Kogelberg blue stars, Stokoe's bush iris (Eng.), blousterretjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

The Kogelberg Biosphere is home to many wonderful indigenous plants, among them Nivenia stokoei. With its clusters of blue flowers, it is one of the most...

24 / 03 / 2003 | Berenice Carolus | Harold Porter NBG

Stenoglottis fimbriata

Common names: fringed Stenoglottis (Eng.); fraiing-stenoglottis (Afr.)

Family: Orchidaceae

This charming, mauve, ground orchid is easily identified by the dark markings found on the leaves and flowers....

24 / 03 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Conophytum truncatum

Common names: dumpling

Family: Aizoaceae

Have you ever seen anything like this? For the uninitiated this strange plant must seem extraterrestrial. So it must have appeared also to its discoverers...

31 / 03 / 2003 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG

Drosanthemum floribundum

Common names: purple carpet (Eng.); perstapeit (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

This hardy perennial produces dazzling metallic purple flowers in spring each year....

31 / 03 / 2003 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG

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