Plants of the Week

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E.g., 28/11/2024
E.g., 28/11/2024

Hypocalyptus coluteoides

Hypocalyptus coluteoides flower head
Common names: balloon-pod red-keur (Eng.); rooikeur, rooikeurtjie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

Attractive, upright, bright pink to magenta flower heads at the ends of the branches are bound to catch one's attention when this lovely shrub is in...

28 / 05 / 2012 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Plectranthus zuluensis 'Lupatana'

Common names: Lupatana spurflower (Eng.); Zoeloewitspoorsalie, Zoeloemuishondblaar (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Plectranthus zuluensis 'Lupatana' is a white-selected cultivar of Plectranthus zuluensis. It is an excellent pot plant and flowers from late summer...

28 / 05 / 2012 | Antonia Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus guthriei

Gladiolus guthriei
Common names: fragrant afrikaner, rock afrikaner (Eng.); kaneelpypie, aandblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus guthriei is a beautiful and highly fragrant species, making it a very worthy addition to the winter garden or container collection.South...

04 / 06 / 2012 | Victoria Wilman | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Pellaea calomelanos

Pellaea calomelanos
Common names: hard fern (Eng.); inkomankomo (isiZulu); lehorometso (Sotho); legogoana (Tswana)
Family: Pteridaceae

...

04 / 06 / 2012 | Mandisa Kondlo | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Gasteria excelsa

Gasteria excelsa in flower at Kirstenbosch, growing on a dry stone wall
Common names: thicket ox-tongue, regal ox-tongue (Eng.); ruigte-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria excelsa is a medium-sized aloe-like plant bearing triangular, spreading, ascending, dark-mottled green leaves and a dense panicle of pinkish...

11 / 06 / 2012 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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xRuttyruspolia 'Phyllis van Heerden'

× Ruttyruspolia `Phyllis van Heerden' shrub Photo © Stafford Smithies
Common names: ruttyruspolia (Eng.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Because of its beauty and prolific, long-lasting inflorescences, the shrub × Ruttyruspolia `Phyllis van Heerden' is now grown in many urban...

11 / 06 / 2012 | S Smithies | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Lasiospermum bipinnatum

Plant in flower: Photo Anthony Magee
Common names: ganskweek, gansbossie (Afr.); cocoonhead (Eng.)
Family: Asteraceae

Lasiospermum bipinnatum is a prolific and showy perennial daisy with beautiful white-rayed flowerheads and aromatic leaves. Although it has been recorded...

18 / 06 / 2012 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium
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Pelargonium exstipulatum

Plant in flower
Common names: sweet-scented pelargonium, soft-leaved trifid pelargonium, scented penny-royal (Eng.); vaalblaarmalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

Most of the species in the Geraniaceae family are very attractive, and Pelargonium exstipulatum is no exception. It adds some character...

18 / 06 / 2012 | Olivia Tyambetyu | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Carissa edulis

Carissa edulis
Common names: simple-spined num-num, climbing num-num, small num-num, (Eng.); enkeldoringnoemnoem, ranknoemnoem, kleinnoemnoem (Afr.); mothokolo (North Sotho); mur
Family: Apocynaceae

A fast-growing, thorny, scrambling shrub with glossy foliage, masses of fragrant white flowers in spring and small, oval red edible fruits in summer....

25 / 06 / 2012 | R Malatjie | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Pelargonium odoratissimum

Plant in flower
Common names: sweet-scented pelargonium, peppermint pelargonium, apple-scented or apple-rose-scented geranium
Family: Geraniaceae

This is a lovely fragrant pelargonium suited to any scented garden....

25 / 06 / 2012 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Protorhus longifolia

Protorhus longifolia flowers © Geoff Nichols
Common names: red beech, purple currant, red Cape beech (Eng.); rooiboekenhout, rooimelkhout (Afr.); ikhubalo, isifuce (isiXhosa); umkomiso, uzintlwa (isiZulu)
Family: Anacardiaceae

The red beech is an excellent evergreen garden tree, quick growing and easily grown from seed. It attracts birds to a garden....

02 / 07 / 2012 | Alec Naidoo | Pretoria NBG
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Thorncroftia succulenta

Thorncroftia succulenta shrub
Common names: rock sage (Eng.) ; klipsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

Thorncroftia succulenta is a versatile and attractive semi-succulent shrub which makes an excellent and showy garden subject, well suited for hot...

02 / 07 / 2012 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Crassula deltoidea

Crassula deltoidea Tanqua Karoo form
Common names: None found
Family: Crassulaceae

A unique and intriguing dwarf, grey-leaved succulent well-suited to pot cultivation....

09 / 07 / 2012 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Indigofera nigromontana

Common names: indigo (Eng.); doringertjie (Afr.); sefea-maeba, mpepa (South Sotho) (Synonyms: Indigofera spinescens E.Mey.; Indigofera dealbata Harv.; Indigofera he
Family: Fabaceae

Indigofera nigromontana is an indigenous shrub with wonderful horticultural potential, suited to any garden with a continental climate. Its foliage brings...

09 / 07 / 2012 | L Kessler | Free State NBG
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Vachellia tortilis

Vachellia  tortilis subsp. tortilis tree
Common names: Umbrella thorn (Eng.); haak-en-steek (Afr.); mosu (Tswana)
Family: Fabaceae

A drought-resistant tree with the classic, umbrella-shaped canopy associated with thorn trees. Many bird species take advantage of the protection it offers...

16 / 07 / 2012 | Tshilidzi Netshisaulu | Free State NBG
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Protea laetans

Protea laetans flowerhead and bud
Common names: Blyde protea, Blyde sugarbush (Eng.); Blydesuikerbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

The Blyde protea is a small tree with bluish-green foliage and deep carmine flowerheads, and is one of the few proteas that are found in the summer-rainfall...

16 / 07 / 2012 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Argyrolobium lunare

Argyrolobium lunare
Common names: None
Family: Fabaceae

At first glance it looks as if there are two similar kinds of plant growing together. This is because most of the flowers are bright yellow and others...

23 / 07 / 2012 | Jane Forrester | Harold Porter NBG
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Helichrysum cymosum subsp. cymosum

Helichrysum cymosum subsp. cymosum
Common names: gold carpet (Eng.); goue tapyt (Afr.); impepho (isiXhosa)
Family: Asteraceae

Helichrysum cymosum subsp. cymosum is a very attractive and easy-to-grow groundcover with small silvery grey leaves, covered with masses of bright yellow...

23 / 07 / 2012 | Kuphumla Zenze | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria disticha

Gasteria disticha var. disticha growing in its natural habitat in Succulent Karoo vegetation near Robertson
Common names: Great Karoo ox-tongue (Eng.); grootkaroo-beestong, boesmanrys (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria disticha is a small aloe-like, succulent-leaved plant with leaves in two opposite rows and an elongated raceme with pinkish flowers, endemic...

30 / 07 / 2012 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Streptocarpus cyaneus

Streptocarpus cyaneus
Common names: Cape primrose (Eng.)
Family: Gesneriaceae

Streptocarpus cyaneus is very attractive and is one of the few species of Streptocarpus that produces either white, pink or blue flowers depending on...

30 / 07 / 2012 | Rivash Maharaj | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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