Plants of the Week

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E.g., 24/11/2024
E.g., 24/11/2024

Adromischus humilis

Adromischus humilis
Common names: dwarf cliff adromischus (Eng.); bontkransrosie, bontkransnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus humilis is a rare, cliff-hugging succulent from the southwestern Escarpment margin, between Sutherland and Beaufort West, in the Western Cape....

30 / 05 / 2022 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus fallax

Adromischus fallax
Common names: large cliff-adromischus (Eng.); groot-kransrosie, groot-kransnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus fallax is a rare, cliff-hugging, occasionally pendent, leaf and stem succulent from the southern escarpment margin near Graaff Reinet in the...

06 / 06 / 2022 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus umbraticola

Adromischus umbraticola growing in the Magaliesberg. Photo Richard Gill
Common names: cliff adromischus (Eng); krans-brosplakkie (Afr)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus umbraticola is a fast-growing, tufted, dwarf, succulent shrub, with attractive rounded leaves and short spikes of pink flowers in late summer....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
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Aponogeton angustifolius

Aponogeton angustifolius showing white petals and ripe orange pollen. Photo Stuart Hall
Common names: delicate Cape-pondweed, narrow-leaved Cape-pondweed (Eng.); delikate waterblommetjie, wateruintjie (Afr.)
Family: Aponogetonaceae

Aponogeton angustifolius is a freshwater aquatic, with small, ornamental floating leaves and delicate, short sprays of white flowers. It is becoming increasingly...

05 / 09 / 2022 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agathosma pattisonae

Agathosma pattisonae flowers close
Common names: boulder buchu (Eng.); klipboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

The boulder buchu is a rigid, aromatic, rock-squatting Agathosma only known from the Cedarberg in the Western Cape. Unique in its cliff and boulder habitat,...

12 / 09 / 2022 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agathosma martiana

Agathosma martiana flowers. Photo Johan Eksteen
Common names: Humansdorp buchu (Eng.); Humansdorp boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

A hardy, white-flowering, aromatic shrub for the fragrance, buchu or fynbos garden....

03 / 10 / 2022 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Alepidea cordifolia

Alepidea cordifolia inflorescence. Photo Barbara Clulow
Common names: heart-leaf alepidea (Eng.); iqwili (isiXhosa); ikhathazo (isiZulu); lesoko (South Sotho), inkatsankatsa (Swazi)
Family: Apiaceae

A robust, erect herbaceous perennial, with flat-topped flowerheads bearing several star-shaped, white to cream and greenish flowers. It is becoming increasingly...

31 / 10 / 2022 | Mashudu Tshitereke | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Anginon difforme

Anginon difforme
Common names: common needle-leaf, common finkel (Eng.); wildevinkel, wildeseldery (Afr.)
Family: Apiaceae

Anginon difforme is an endemic of southern Africa with reduced, needle-like leaves that resemble pine needles, so much so that it sometimes is confused...

30 / 01 / 2023 | Nokukhanya Nozipho Mhlongo | Compton Herbarium
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Albizia antunesiana

Albizia antunesiana, inflorescence and new foliage. Photo Mervyn Lötter
Common names: purple-leaved false-thorn (Eng.), persblaarvalsdoring (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

An attractive deciduous tree with a flattened, umbrella-shaped crown, large greenish to yellow, half-spherical, fluffy flower heads that make the tree...

23 / 01 / 2023 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
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Adromischus phillipsiae

Adromischus phillipsiae on a sheer south facing cliff
Common names: bell-nenta (Eng.), klokkiesrosie, klokkiesnenta (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

The bell-nenta is a succulent plant growing along the western mountainous escarpment margin between Sutherland and Steinkopf in the Western and Northern...

30 / 01 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adenia gummifera

Adenia gummifera var. gummifera leaves and fruits. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: snake-climber, monkey rope, gummy adenia (Eng.); impinda, impindamshaye, umphindamshaya, imfulwa (isiZulu); slangklimop (Afr.)
Family: Passifloraceae

A large, attractive, woody geophyte which often climbs into other plants, holding on by means of tendrils. Stems are bright green, with kidney-shaped and...

13 / 02 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Aulax pallasia

Aulax pallasia male plant
Common names: needle-leaf featherbush (Eng.); dunbeentjieebos, naaldbaarkanariebos, kersbos (Afr.).
Family: Proteaceae

A needle-leaved, long-lived, evergreen fynbos shrub with male and female flowers on separate plants that look quite different from each other. The male...

17 / 07 / 2023 | Yonela Dyakobe | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Astroloba genus

Astroloba spirella in a nurse plant east of Ladismith
Common names: astrolobas, starlobes (Eng.); astrolobas, kleinaalwyne, koedoekos, steekaalwyntjies (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Astrolobas are aloes in the miniature and well adapted to their arid karroid environments. They form clusters of stems that are densely packed with small,...

18 / 09 / 2023 | Ronell R. Klopper | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Astroloba subg. Astroloba sect. Astroloba

Family: Asphodelaceae

The species in this section have leaves that are often tuberculed, with one margin of each leaf usually losing its identity near the leaf apex. The relatively...

18 / 09 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Astroloba subg. Astroloba sect. Intercedens

Family: Asphodelaceae

The species in this section have leaves that are matt. Their flowers have dull-coloured perianth tubes and cream-coloured lobes. The two species co-occur,...

18 / 09 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Astroloba subg. Astroloba sect. Inflata

Family: Asphodelaceae

The species in this section have leaves that are matt and unadorned. The inflorescence is usually unbranched, and the flowers have somewhat inflated perianth...

18 / 09 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Astroloba subg. Astroloba sect. Vastora

Family: Asphodelaceae

The species in this section have leaves that are glossy. Due to their relatively small divergence angle, the leaves form five ranks that are either vertical...

18 / 09 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Astroloba subg. Poellnitzia

Family: Asphodelaceae

This subgenus comprises a single species....

18 / 09 / 2023 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Annona senegalensis

Ripe fruit of Annona senegalensis
Common names: wild custard apple, African custard apple (Eng.), wildesuikerappel (Afr.), umphofu (Zul.), umtelembu (Swa.), muyembe (Tso.), muembe (Ven.)
Family: Annonaceae

Annona senegalensis is a multi-stemmed, deciduous African fruit tree that is found in semi-arid to subhumid areas. It has a long history of traditional...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Accurate Sondlhana | Lowveld NBG
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Aristea spiralis

A clump of Aristea spiralis
Common names: star-eyed aristea, pale capeblue (Eng.)
Family: Iridaceae

Clumps of Aristea spiralis make a striking display, the large white to pale blue flowers with purple centres are very attractive and last throughout the...

11 / 12 / 2023 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
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