Plants of the Week

Dioscorea sylvatica

Common names: forest elephant’s foot, forest tortoise plant, elephant’s foot yam, wild yam (Eng.); olifantsvoet, skilpadknol (Afr.); nakaa, usikolipati (isiXhos

Family: Dioscoreaceae

Dioscorea sylvatica, commonly known by the name of wild yam, is a slow-growing, caudiciform plant that has an interesting structure which gives it great...

07 / 08 / 2023 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG

Merwilla dracomontana

Common names: miniature blue squill, moutain squill, dragon mountain squill, alpine squill

Family: Hyacinthaceae

The miniature blue squill is a bristly, dwarf bulbous plant from the hyacinth family in the genus Merwilla, native to the Drakensberg foothills of KwaZulu-Natal...

07 / 08 / 2023 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG

Peperomia tetraphylla

Common names: four-leaved peperomia, acorn peperomia (Eng.)

Family: Piperaceae

A low-growing herb with creeping stems forming mats, with small, thick, rounded leaves, typically dark green with lighter stripes, and are excellent at...

31 / 07 / 2023 | Luckyboy Nduli | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Maclura africana

Common names: African Osage-orange, thorny mulberry (Eng.); Afrikasoetlemoen (Afr.); mupulumbu (Tshivenda); pumbula (Tsonga);

Family: Moraceae

A dioecious, evergreen, spiny, climbing shrub whose stems provide a yellow dye....

31 / 07 / 2023 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG

Crassula expansa

Common names: Fragile crassula (Eng.)

Family: Crassulaceae

Crassula expansa is a dwarf, soft, decumbent, scrambling succulent plant with small green, red or pinkish-green leaves and white, cup-shaped flowers. Best...

24 / 07 / 2023 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Erica calcareophila

Common names: limestone heath (Eng.)

Family: Ericaceae

With the limestone hills of Groot Hagelkraal being its only home, Erica calcareophila occurs on cliffs and rock ledges, showcasing its pure white, urn-shaped...

24 / 07 / 2023 | Yandisa Ndzeku | Kirstenbosch NBG

Chloris gayana

Common names: Hunyani grass, Rhodes grass, Rhodesian blue grass (Eng.); bruinvingergras, rhodes-gras, rooiklossiegras (Afr.); nyankomo, umyaka (isiZulu)

Family: Poaceae

Rhodes grass is a very leafy grass which spreads by means of stolons. It is a fairly distinctive grass, not easily confused with other grasses....

17 / 07 / 2023 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Aulax pallasia

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

Euphorbia pseudoglobosa

Common names: false milkballs, false globosa, false globose spurge, false globose euphorbia (Eng.);

Family: Euphorbiaceae

This dwarf succulent has a nearly geophytic habit, with the stems and branches almost entirely subterranean. It flowers in autumn, when it is adorned with...

10 / 07 / 2023 | Nokukhanya Nozipho Mhlongo | TSP

Gethyllis afra

Common names: kukumakranka, many-leaved Cape crocus (Eng.); bramakranka, koekoemakranka (Afr.).

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Noted for its curious tuft of spirally twisted leaves, sweet-scented blooms and aromatic berries, this Western Cape bulb has for centuries been cherished...

10 / 07 / 2023 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Tylecodon wallichii subsp. wallichii

Tylecodon wallichii ssp. wallichii in flower. Photo Alexey Yakovlev

Common names: pegleg butterbush, quiver bush (Eng.); kokerbos, kandelaarbos, krimpsiektebos, krimpsiekkandelaar, nenta, bandjiesbos, tnjoemsganna, koni-ganna, karke

Family: Crassulaceae

A succulent shrub with thick, knobby branches and many nodding, pale greenish-yellow flowers on long stems in early summer. It is widely spread in dry,...

03 / 07 / 2023 | Zamasodi Mkhungo | Pretoria NBG

Secale africanum

Common names: African rye, wild rye (Eng.); wilderog, Afrika-rog (Afr.)

Family: Poaceae

The African rye is a tufted, weakly perennial grass to about 1 m high, growing in seasonally moist meadows and river banks on the Roggeveld Plateau. It...

03 / 07 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Protea comptonii

Common names: Barberton mountain sugarbush, Barberton sugarbush, Saddleback sugarbush, Compton’s protea (Eng.); barbertonse bergsuikerbos, barberton-suikerbos, co

Family: Proteaceae

A very impressive standing tree with a rounded, open crown, rich green leaves, and a water-lily-like inflorescence when fully in bloom, made up of white...

26 / 06 / 2023 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG

Senecio coronatus

Common names: woolly grassland senecio (Eng.); sybossie (Afr.); lehlomanyane/lehlomane, moremoholo, motabo (Southern Sotho); ikhubalo lesikhova, indlebe yebokwe (is

Family: Asteraceae

Senecio coronatus is one of the most common spring-flowering grassland herbs and is often the first species to flower after a burn. It is easily recognized...

26 / 06 / 2023 | Katlego Molele | National Herbarium Pretoria

Helichrysum pandurifolium

Common names: fiddle everlasting; fiddle-leaved strawflower (Eng.); kooigoed (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Helichrysum pandurifolium is a woolly grey shrub with small clusters of gorgeous, yellow flowers surrounded by creamy white, papery bracts. It is an aromatic...

19 / 06 / 2023 | Mduduzi Nkwanyana | National Herbarium Pretoria

Erica curtophylla

Common names: curved-leaf heath (Eng.); krulblaarheide (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

Erica curtophylla produces small pink to dark pink, cup-shaped flowers, mostly in spring, from August to October....

19 / 06 / 2023 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Wurmbea elatior

Common names: pepper-and-salt flower (Eng.); sout-en-peper-blommetjie (Afr.); khahlana-ea-loti (seSotho)

Family: Colchicaceae

Wurmbea elatior is an attractive plant with striking white flowers marked with dark reddish purple and can be easily identified by its musky smell....

12 / 06 / 2023 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Encephalartos hirsutus

Common names: Venda cycad (Eng.); Venda-broodboom (Afr.)

Family: Zamiaceae

The Venda cycad is an extremely rare and highly sought-after cycad, which is reportedly now extinct in the wild, as a result of illegal harvesting for...

12 / 06 / 2023 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Conophytum pageae

Common names: lips plant, cone plant, button plant, dumplings, living pebbles (Eng.); knopies, toontjies (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

An evergreen member of the Aizoaceae family, Conophytum pageae is a unique succulent with lips that resemble those of a human. Considering how simple it...

05 / 06 / 2023 | Khotatso Baloyi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Syzygium legatii

Common names: mountain waterberry, mountain umdoni, white umdoni, water pear (Eng.); bergwaterbessie, waterpeer, waterbos (Afr.); mutawi (Tshivenda); umdoni-wamanzi

Family: Myrtaceae

...

05 / 06 / 2023 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG

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