Plants of the Week

Dicliptera cernua

Common names: false buck-weed (Eng.)

Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera cernua is a vigorous and versatile winter-flowering groundcover, suitable for sunny or shady areas....

15 / 02 / 2016 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chasmanthe floribunda

Common names: cobra lily, chasmanthe (Eng.); kapelpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

...

08 / 02 / 2016 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium

Protea mundii

Common names: forest sugarbush, white protea (Eng.); witsuikerbos, boswitsuikerbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Although not as eye-catching as the glorious king protea (Protea cynaroides), Protea mundii has a pronounced and unusual charm to it that will add value...

08 / 02 / 2016 | Megan Blatchford | Kirstenbosch NBG

Hoodia flava

Common names: yellow-flowered ghaap (Eng.); soetghaap (Afr.)

Family: Apocynaceae

Hoodia flava is an indigenous shrublet of southern Africa that is popularly used amongst the Khoi-San people as a hunger and appetite suppressant....

01 / 02 / 2016 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cotyledon petiolaris

Common names: Kei-cotyledon (Eng.); Keiplakkie (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

Cotyledon petiolaris is a shrubby leaf succulent with orange-red bell-shaped flowers during winter, attracting sunbirds. Its short petioles distinguish...

01 / 02 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Rabiea albinota

Common names: clock plant (Eng.); s'keng-kengvygie (Afr.); s`keng-keng (Griqua)

Family: Aizoaceae

When in a powdered state, the s'keng-keng is amongst numerous psychotropic plants that are able to alter the mind and mood of an individual....

25 / 01 / 2016 | Ndamase Nozuko | National Herbarium Pretoria

Protea aristata

Common names: Ladismith sugarbush (Eng.); klein-den-suikerbos (Afr.)

Family: Proteaceae

Protea aristata would surely be among the five best-known South African proteas, even though it had a rather late documented discovery in the 1920s. It...

25 / 01 / 2016 | Megan Blatchford | Kirstenbosch NBG

Xyris capensis

Common names: Cape yellow-eyed grass, common xyris (Eng.); hloho-tsa-makaka, kaka-hlothona (Sesotho); umuzi (SiSwati); udoyi oluncane (isiZulu)

Family: Xyridaceae

Xyris capensis is a perennial grass-like plant growing from a more or less creeping rhizome. Its yellow flowers are clustered in a roundish spike which...

18 / 01 / 2016 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Salpinctium natalense

Common names: none

Family: Acanthaceae

Salpinctium natalense is a lovely and rare herbaceous perennial that is known from only one site in KwaZulu-Natal; it is well suited to cool, shady...

18 / 01 / 2016 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Oxyanthus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis

Oxyanthus pyriformis flowers and foliage (Geoff Nichols)

Common names: hatpins loquat, Natal loquat (Eng.); hoedespeldlukwart, Natallukwart (Afr.); isibinda esingakhali-amasi (isiZulu); umgungununu (siSwati)

Family: Rubiaceae

Medley Wood described this loquat-like shrub as ‘an exceedingly handsome shrub of good habit, growing generally under large trees in those parts...

11 / 01 / 2016 | Alec Naidoo | Pretoria NBG

Encephalartos latifrons

Common names: Albany cycad (Eng.), Albany-broodboom (Afr.)

Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos latifrons is extremely rare and virtually extinct in its natural habitat. It is very attractive with the broadest leaves of all the cycad...

11 / 01 / 2016 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG

Fabronia pilifera

Common names: hairy fabronia

Family: Fabroniaceae

This delicate epiphytic moss is frequently encountered in woodlands or savanna areas of South Africa....

04 / 01 / 2016 | Jacques van Rooy | National Herbarium Pretoria

Sagittanthera mzimvubuensis

Common names: Mzimvubu-ruby (Eng.); kransrobyn (Afr.)

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Sagittanthera mzimvubuensis is a geophyte with decorative club-shaped, ruby-green bulb scales and pendent, terete leaves, growing on cliffs along the Mzimvubu...

04 / 01 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Vaccinium exul

Common names: African blueberry, African cranberry (Eng.); Afrika-bloubessie, bosbessiebos (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

In southern Africa the heath family (Ericaceae) is represented by only two indigenous genera: Erica which is extremely speciose, containing ± 770...

28 / 12 / 2015 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria

Erica peziza

Common names: woollysnow heath, velvet bell heath, white heath (Eng.); kapokkie (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

A beautiful fynbos shrub that turns snowy white when it flowers in spring....

28 / 12 / 2015 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ficus polita subsp. polita

Common names: heart-leaved fig, wild rubber fig, wild rubber tree (Eng.); hartblaarvy, wilderubbervy, rubberplant (Afr.); umkhiwane (siSwati.); umkhiwane, umphumel

Family: Moraceae

Next time you attend one of Kirstenbosch’s summer sunset concerts, see if you can spot the Afrotropical Ficus polita subsp. polita, growing on the...

21 / 12 / 2015 | Hannelie Snyman | Compton Herbarium

Searsia lucida

Common names: glossy crowberry, glossy currant, glossy wild currant (Eng.); blinktaaibos, slaptaaibos (Afr.); intlokolotshane-ebomvu, umchane, amapozi (isiXhosa); i

Family: Anacardiaceae

A versatile shrub or small tree, with attractive shiny leaves and creamy white flowers, which are followed by green fruits that ripen to red-brown and...

21 / 12 / 2015 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG

Crassula sarcocaulis

Common names: bonsai crassula (Eng.); serelilenyane (S.Sotho); umadinsane (isiZulu)

Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula sarcocaulis is one of the few plants that has a tree-like form, in miniature. It’s also a tough, water-wise, drought- and cold-tolerant...

14 / 12 / 2015 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG

Watsonia tabularis

Common names: Table Mountain watsonia (Eng.); suurkanol, kanolpypie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Watsonia tabularis has showy summer flowers, attracts Sunbirds and Sugarbirds and is well suited to fynbos gardens....

14 / 12 / 2015 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Ursinia chrysanthemoides

Common names: parachute daisy, coral ursinia (Eng.); pokkiesbos, bergmagriet (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

A showy upright or mat-forming spring flowering perennial with daisy flowers in various colours....

07 / 12 / 2015 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium

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