Plants of the Week

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E.g., 25/11/2024
E.g., 25/11/2024

Felicia filifolia subsp. filifolia

In full flower
Common names: fine-leaved felicia, needle-leaved felicia, wild aster (Eng.); draaibos (Afr.); sehalahala-seseholo (Southern Sotho)
Family: Asteraceae

When in flower Felicia filifolia is an eye-catching mass of mauve flowers with pretty yellow centres that will create a stunning splash of colour in your...

22 / 11 / 2004 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Eulophia speciosa

Close-up of Eulophia speciosa
Family: Orchidaceae

With its fairly large, bright yellow flowers,  Eulophia speciosa, one of the most common and widespread southern African eulophias, is a rewarding...

22 / 11 / 2004 | H Kurzweil | Compton Herbarium
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Xysmalobium involucratum

Flowers
Common names: scented xysmalobium (Eng.); hongersnoodwortel, hongersnoodbossie, melkbossie (Afr.); udambisomkhulu, udelunina (isiZulu)
Family: Apocynaceae

The long, narrow, green leaves make Xysmalobium involucratum inconspicuous in unburned grassy areas unless it is flowering. In grasslands that are grazed...

15 / 11 / 2004 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Zysmalobium involucratum

Flowers
Common names: scented xysmalobium (Eng.); hongersnoodwortel, hongersnoodbossie, melkbossie (Afr.); udambisomkhulu, udelunina (isiZulu)
Family: Apocynaceae

The long, narrow, green leaves make Xysmalobium involucratum inconspicuous in unburned grassy areas unless it is flowering. In grasslands that are grazed...

15 / 11 / 2004 | Mkhipheni Ngwenya | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Vepris lanceolata

Old tree showing stem and bark
Common names: white ironwood (Eng.); witysterhout (Afr.); Muruvula (Tsonga); Muhondwa (Venda); umZane (Xhosa); umOzana (Zulu)
Family: Rutaceae

What a lovely, underrated shrub or tree-a plant that South Africans can definitely try in their gardens in the future!...

15 / 11 / 2004 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG
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Freylinia visseri

Freylinia visseri
Common names: Velddrif bell-bush (Eng.); suurlat, Velddrif klokkiesbos (Afr).
Family: Scrophulariaceae

...

15 / 11 / 2004 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Kniphofia gracilis

Kniphofia gracilis
Common names: graceful/slender red-hot poker
Family: Asphodelaceae

Kniphofias, or red-hot pokers as they are more commonly known, are popular, showy garden plants that have been valued for their dramatic appearance in...

08 / 11 / 2004 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Khadia

K.acutipetala
Common names: khadiwortel (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

The succulent plants of this genus have long been known as an additive to alcoholic fermentations, making them extra potent. It is the thick underground...

08 / 11 / 2004 | P Burgoyne | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos altensteinii

Female cones of E. altensteinii
Common names: Eastern Cape cycad, Eastern Cape giant cycad (Eng.), oos-kaapse broodboom (Afr.), umphanga, umguza, isundu (Xhosa)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos altensteinii is a very ornamental garden plant and probably the most common of all the cycads in cultivation. This species is long-lived,...

08 / 11 / 2004 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Polystachya pubescens

Polystachya pubescens
Common names: amabelejongosi (Zulu)
Family: Orchidaceae

This delightful bright yellow, fragrant epiphytic orchid is at home on a tree branch in the forest or on a sandstone rock in the full sun....

01 / 11 / 2004 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Podalyria calyptrata

Podalyria calyptrata
Common names: sweetpea bush, large pink keurtjie, water blossom-pea (Eng.); keur, keurtjie, keurblom, ertjiebos, waterkeurtjie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

There are few shrubs to beat Podalyria calyptrata , with its attractive, glossy, silvery foliage and masses of sweet-scented mauve-pink sweetpea-like...

01 / 11 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lagenaria sphaerica

Lagenaria sphaerica
Common names: wild calabash (Eng.); wildekalbas (Afr.); iselwa-makhosi, uselwa (Zulu)
Family: Cucurbitaceae

This vigorous climber is a close relative of the calabash and bears large, white, fragrant flowers which open in the evening, and unique mottled green...

01 / 11 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Passerina filiformis subsp. filiformis

Close up of flowers
Common names: bakkerbos (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

Passerina filiformis subsp. filiformis is a shrub growing up to 2 m. It is currently quite scarce in the Cape Peninsula, but a healthy community of these...

25 / 10 / 2004 | Christien Bredenkamp | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Crinum moorei

Crinum moorei
Common names: Natal lily, Moore's crinum, Ngomi lily, Inanda lily (Eng.); boslelie, Natallelie, Ngomilelie, rivierlelie (Afr.); umnduze (Zulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The Natal lily, Crinum moorei, with its large, white to pinkish red, open tubular flowers, literally glows in the dappled shade of the century-old...

25 / 10 / 2004 | S Khanyile | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Buddleja glomerata

B.glomerata
Common names: Karoo sagewood, sneezebush, cockroach (Eng.); Karoo-salie, kakkerlak, hoesbos, niesbos (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

The Karoo sagewood is an attractive foliage plant with silvery, scalloped leaves and heads of yellow flowers during spring and summer. It forms a small...

25 / 10 / 2004 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium tetragonum

Pelargonium tetragonum
Common names: square-stemmed pelargonium
Family: Geraniaceae

With its square, jointed, succulent stems, this fascinating pelargonium could easily mislead the casual observer into mistaking it for a member of the...

18 / 10 / 2004 | T Hutton-squire | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Passerina ericoides

Passerina ericoides growing near Cape Town
Common names: Christmas berry (Eng.); dronkbessie (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

It is a most exhilarating experience seeing Passerina ericoides growing on cliff faces at Cape Point and overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean, with branchlets...

18 / 10 / 2004 | Christien Bredenkamp | Pretoria NBG
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Harpephyllum caffrum

Fruits of H caffrum: Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: wild plum (Eng.); wildepruim, suurbessie, gwenjabessie (Afr.); umgwenya (Zulu, Xhosa); mothekele (Northern Sotho)
Family: Anacardiaceae

This is an attractive evergreen tree that is useful as an ornamental garden tree and for attracting birds and butterflies into the garden.It is popularly...

18 / 10 / 2004 | Mhlonishwa D Dlamini | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Phoenix reclinata

Phoenix reclinata :Photo:G Nichols
Common names: wild date palm (Eng.); wilde-dadelboom (Afr.); mopalamo (Northern Sotho); moséfa (Tswana); isundu (Xhosa, Zulu)
Family: Arecaceae

This graceful palm with its characteristic slender, leaning stems is a feature of riverine bush and forest in the eastern parts of the country. It is almost...

11 / 10 / 2004 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Hyacinthaceae

Eucomis bicolor
Common names: hyacinth family
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is a family of 700-900 species of deciduous, or rarely evergreen, bulbous plants, several with brightly coloured flowers, that is well represented...

11 / 10 / 2004 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium
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