Plants of the Week

Canthium ciliatum

Common names: hairy turkey berry (Eng.); harige bokdrol (Afr.); mulume-khoda (Venda); umnyushulumbe, umdakane, ubuchopho (Xhosa, Zulu), mvutfwamini (Swati).

Family: Rubiaceae

Canthium ciliatum is a hardy shrub or small tree found on forest margins and rock outcrops in the eastern regions of South Africa, and in Swaziland and...

24 / 01 / 2011 | Beate Hölscher | National Herbarium Pretoria

Commiphora

Common names: corkwood, commiphora; (Eng.); kanniedood (Afr.)

Family: Burseraceae

The corkwoods are a fascinating group of trees, because of their bizarre appearance, but more importantly for their historical and biblical association...

31 / 01 / 2011 | Beate Hölscher | National Herbarium Pretoria

Protea susannae

Common names: stink-leaf sugarbush (Eng.); stinkblaarsuikerbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

This easy-to-grow protea has lovely flowers throughout the winter months....

31 / 01 / 2011 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Lampranthus bicolor

Common names: Bicoloured lampranthus (Eng.); bont vygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

This is a beautiful species; when in bud, it displays the orange-red on the reverse of the petals, and as it opens it reveals their bright yellow upper...

07 / 02 / 2011 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Nuxia congesta

Common names: common wild elder, brittle wood (Eng.); gewone wildevlier (Afr.); umKhobesza (Xhosa); isiPhofane (Zulu)

Family: Stilbaceae

Nuxia congesta is a winter-flowering evergreen tree or shrub, with beautiful large heads of small, scented, long-lasting white or cream flowers. It...

07 / 02 / 2011 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Arrowsmithia styphelioides

Common names: There are no common names in use for this species.

Family: Asteraceae

This rare and endemic shrublet is a member of the daisy family and occurs only in a restricted area in the Eastern Cape Province....

14 / 02 / 2011 | Nicola Bergh | Compton Herbarium

Erica taxifolia

Common names: yew-leaved heath

Family: Ericaceae

With its showy, bright pink, late summer flowers Erica taxifolia is a colourful addition to the fynbos garden, rockery or patio....

14 / 02 / 2011 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Lebeckia

Common names: ganna (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

The genus Lebeckia is a group of 14 species that occur in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. All the species have attractive...

21 / 02 / 2011 | S Boatwright | Compton Herbarium

Leucospermum cuneiforme

Common names: wart-stemmed pincushion (Eng.), luisiesbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Leucospermum cuneiforme produces its showy pincushions from spring into late summer, bringing welcome colour to the fynbos garden in mid summer....

21 / 02 / 2011 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Boophone haemanthoides

Common names: Namaqua century plant (Eng.); gifbol, kwaslelie(Afr.)

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Boophone haemanthoides is a summer-flowering geophyte growing up to 500 mm tall. It looks very much like a primitive plant with at least two thirds of...

28 / 02 / 2011 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Hyaenanche globosa

A young gifboom growing among sandstone rocks

Common names: hyaena-poison (Eng.); gifboom, wolwegifboom, wolweboontjie, boesmansgif

Family: Picrodendraceae

The gifboom is a large evergreen fynbos shrub or small tree endemic to the Gifberg of the northern Bokkeveld Escarpment just south of Vanrhynsdorp (northern...

28 / 02 / 2011 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Asclepias bicuspis

Common names: none known

Family: Apocynaceae

Thought to be extinct and known from only six collections, two of which were collected over a hundred years ago, Asclepias bicuspis, was unexpectedly rediscovered...

07 / 03 / 2011 | Suvarna Parbhoo | CREW

Streptocarpus baudertii

Common names: Cape primrose, wild gloxinia

Family: Gesneriaceae

Streptocarpus baudertii is a small herbaceous delight, with pretty mauve flowers and hairy leaves. It is special because it is not usually found in the...

07 / 03 / 2011 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bowiea volubilis

Common names: climbing onion, climbing green lily, bowiea (Eng.); knolklimop (Af.); ugibisisila; iguleni (isiZulu); umgaqana (isiXhosa); gibizisila (siSwati)

Family: Asparagaceae

Bowiea volubilis subsp volubilis has an unusual succulent adaptation - climbing inflorescences that harvest photosynthetic light in the absence of aerial...

14 / 03 / 2011 | Suvarna Parbhoo | CREW

Streptocarpus gardenii

Common names: Cape primrose

Family: Gesneriaceae

Streptocarpus gardenii is a delicate, dainty plant with a pale flower that loves the shady gloom found beneath trees....

14 / 03 / 2011 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Pelargonium grandiflorum

Common names: Large flowered pelargonium

Family: Geraniaceae

One cannot but stop and admire the beautiful large flowers of this pelargonium....

21 / 03 / 2011 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG

Sterculia rogersii

Common names: star-chestnut (Eng.); sterkastaiing (Afr.); mokgwakgwatha (NS); samani, nsolodza (Ts)

Family: Malvaceae

This is a small tree with smooth bark flaking to reveal reddish to purple or yellowish under-bark and a characteristic thickset trunk. It has saucer-shaped,...

21 / 03 / 2011 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG