Plants of the Week

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

Eragrostis capensis

Eragrostis capensis
Common names: Cape love grass, small heart-seed grass (Eng.), bosluisgras, hartjiegras, hartjie eragrostis (Afr.); baroa, baroana, la-barao, la-baroana, senana (Ses
Family: Poaceae

Cape love grass can be recognized easily because of their heart-shaped and purple-flushed spikelets; the best guide to the identification of species of...

23 / 09 / 2024 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Barleria soutpansbergensis

Barleria soutpansbergensis growing in open woodland
Common names: Soutpansberg bush violet (Eng.); Soutpansberg-bosviooltjie (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

The Soutpansberg bush violet is a newly described species only known from the western Soutpansberg Centre of Plant Endemism, Limpopo Province, where it...

23 / 09 / 2024 | Ntsakisi Masia | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Felicia petiolata

Felicia petiolata
Common names: Lesotho felicia, creeping blue marguerite (Eng.); khotolia-ea-thaba, morarana (Sesotho)
Family: Asteraceae

An attractive evergreen, low-growing felicia with yellow-centred, rose pink daisy-like flowers in summer, and dentate leaves on long stems....

16 / 09 / 2024 | Unarine Honest Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Drosera xerophila

Drosera xerophila
Common names: xeric sundew, dryland sundew (Eng.)
Family: Droseraceae

Drosera xerophila is one of the stunning sundews, belonging to the Droseraceae family, characterised by a rosette of leaves that lie close to the ground...

16 / 09 / 2024 | Nyameka Dlawu | Harold Porter NBG
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Aristea grandis

Aristea grandis
Common names: large blue-stars, giant blue-eyed grass (Eng.)
Family: Iridaceae

A beautiful, robust, grass-like plant with striking deep blue flowers that grow in clusters up tall stems, and broad, pale green leaves. It is a member...

09 / 09 / 2024 | Sefularo Ramaboea | National Zoological Gardens
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Erica uysii

Erica uysii
Common names: De Hoop bell heath, Uys’ heath (Eng.) De Hoop-klokkiesheide, Uys-heide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica uysii starts to form flower buds by the middle of August and fully presents light to dark pink flowers in September and October....

09 / 09 / 2024 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Leysera tenella

Leysera tenella
Common names: common wireweed, little tortoise-tea, slender leysera, slender-leaved leysera, small-flowered leysera (Eng.); kleinskilpadteebossie, teebossie, vaalte
Family: Asteraceae

A stunning and adaptable short-lived plant with attractive yellow flowers in spring, distributed throughout the arid and semi-arid habitats of South Africa,...

02 / 09 / 2024 | Thabang Makola | Karoo Desert NBG
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Tulbaghia pretoriensis

Tulbaghia pretoriensis
Common names: Pretoria wild garlic (Eng.); Pretoria-wildeknoffel (Afr.)
Family: Alliaceae

A little-known and recently described species of wild garlic endemic to Pretoria with sweetly fragrant coconut-scented flowers that is low maintenance...

02 / 09 / 2024 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Eriosema cordatum

Eriosema cordatum
Common names: heart-leaf eriosema (Eng.); leshetla (Sesotho); ubangalala, umhlabankunzi (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

Eriosema cordatum is a fascinating plant known for its aphrodisiac and medicinal properties, beautiful vibrant flowers and heart-shaped leaves, which make...

26 / 08 / 2024 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG
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Imperata cylindrica

Imperata cylindrica in flower in habitat
Common names: silver-spike, cogon grass, cottonwool grass, beady grass, bedding grass, Ramsammy grass, river grass, silky grass, susenke, sword grass (Eng.); donsgr
Family: Poaceae

Silver-spike or cogon grass has a distinctive flowerhead, which is silky-white or cream and shaped like a cylindrical plume. The leaves are hard, rigid...

26 / 08 / 2024 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Dierama dubium

Dierama dubium
Common names: hidden hairbell (Eng.); grasklokkie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A little-known and seldom seen, perennial, evergreen geophyte with small, nodding dark purple-red flowers and white bracts which are borne on arching stems...

19 / 08 / 2024 | Mlondi Sikhosana | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Gladiolus sericeovillosus

Gladiolus sericeovillosus
Common names: large speckled gladiolus (Eng.); isidwa, udwendweni, isidwa esincane, umlunge (siZulu); bloupypie (Afr.); sidvwana (isiSwazi)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus sericeovillosus is a medium-sized, summer-flowering Gladiolus with flower spikes up to 1.5 m tall with dull red, lilac, pink, white or cream...

19 / 08 / 2024 | Lesego Tlhatlhelang | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Crassula brachystachya

Crassula brachystachya in flower in habitat
Common names: cliff-crassula (Eng.), kransrosie (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula brachystachya is a rare, cluster-forming, cliff-hugging succulent to 70 mm high, with leaves in a rosette and an ascending, spike-like inflorescence...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Moraea miniata

Moraea miniata
Common names: two-leaf Cape tulip, red Cape tulip, poison bulb (Eng.), pronktulp, rooitulp, geeltulp, kraaitulp (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A stunning plant with delicate petals that flowers in masses during late winter and spring, turning patches of the veld bright salmon pink. A member of...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Nokuthula Michelle Siwelane | Hantam NBG
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Gorteria diffusa

Gorteria diffusa
Common names: beetle daisy (Eng.); katoog (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Commonly known as the beetle daisy, Gorteria diffusa is characterised by intricate dotted patterns on the ray florets, placed around the central disk of...

12 / 08 / 2024 | Khanya Ntondini | Compton Herbarium
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Crassula badspoortensis

Crassula badspoortense in flower, Kirstenbosch NBG
Common names: cliff sosatie-crassula (Eng.), krans-sosatie, krans-inryger (Afr.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula badspoortensis is a rare, sparingly branched succulent shrublet becoming a cliff-hanger, with stems up to 400 mm long, greyish-green, disc-like...

09 / 08 / 2024 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Homeria miniata

Common names: two-leaf Cape tulip, red tulp, poison bulb (Eng.), pronktulp, rooitulp, geeltulp, kraaitulp (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

see Moraea miniata...

06 / 08 / 2024 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Peltocalathos baurii

Peltocalathos baurii
Common names: Drakensberg buttercup, nasturtium-leaved buttercup, large-leaved ranunculus (Eng.); qojoana (seSotho)
Family: Ranunculaceae

A rarely seen South African relative of the buttercup from high in the Drakensberg Mountains, with rounded fleshy leaves and bright yellow flowers in spring...

05 / 08 / 2024 | Bontle Matetoane | Free State NBG
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Agathosma dielsiana

Agathosma dielsiana flowers are visited by bees
Common names: Diels buchu (Eng.); Diels-boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

...

05 / 08 / 2024 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ranunculus baurii

Common names: Drakensberg buttercup, nasturtium-leaved buttercup, large-leaved ranunculus (Eng.); qojoana (seSotho)
Family: Ranunculaceae

See Peltocalathos baurii...

31 / 07 / 2024 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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