Plants of the Week

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

Arctotis fastuosa

Orange form of A.fastuosa
Common names: Namaqualand arctotis, Iceland daisy, Namaqua marigold, double Namaqualand daisy (Eng.); Namakwagousblom, bittergousblom (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Arctotis fastuosa with large colourful flowers, is an easy-to-grow annual from the dry Namaqualand region....

11 / 12 / 2006 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Tritoniopsis triticea

Flowers
Common names: mountain pipes (Eng.); rooibergpypie, klipuintjie, berguintjie, karkarblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A bright red, spiky-looking flower growing among the fynbos in a dry rocky area, caught my eye as I was walking along the contour path above Kirstenbosch...

04 / 12 / 2006 | Xolelwa Lusithi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Diplorhynchus condylocarpon

Twig with flowers
Common names: Rhodesian rubber tree, horn-pod tree, wild rubber (Eng.); horingpeultjieboom, horingpeulbos, melkbos (Afr.); mutowa (Shona); tsowa (Tsonga); ntsowa, m
Family: Apocynaceae

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon grows either as a shrub or as a small, graceful tree with drooping branches. Although it is seldom found in gardens, the...

04 / 12 / 2006 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stapelia

Stapelia gigantea
Common names: carrion flower (Eng.); aasblom (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

Known globally as African starfish flowers, and locally as carrion flowers, members of the genus Stapelia are usually characterised by their...

27 / 11 / 2006 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Passerina corymbosa

Flowers
Common names: gonna bush (Eng.); gonnabos, bakkerbos (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

Passerina corymbosa, a medium to tall shrub covered in masses of small creamy flowers, is fast-growing and would be a welcome addition to any fynbos...

27 / 11 / 2006 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pavetta lanceolata

Flowers
Common names: weeping bride's bush, forest bride's bush, bridal bush, Christmas bush ( Eng.); treurbruidsbos, bruidsbos (Afr.); umhleza, ilitoba, umgonogono, umphon
Family: Rubiaceae

In full flower, Pavetta lanceolata looks like a bride adorned in pure white, full of expectation and hope for a long and happy life, hence the...

20 / 11 / 2006 | Paul Herman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Maytenus oleoides

Maytenus oleoides in fruit
Common names: mountain maytenus ( Eng. ); klipkershout (Afr.)
Family: Celastraceae

Maytenus oleioides is a handsome tree with a deep green, dense, rounded crown and stout trunk, a good choice for today's smaller gardens as it...

20 / 11 / 2006 | Mandy Barnes | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stangeria eriopus

Growing in Kirstenbosch
Common names: Stanger`s cycad, Natal grass cycad (Eng.); bobbejaankos (Afr.); Imfingo (Zulu); Umfingwani (Xhosa)
Family: Zamiaceae

Stangeria eriopus, not often seen in cultivation, develops into a most attractive perennial with large fern-like leaves, which is why it is often mistaken...

13 / 11 / 2006 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Barleria rotundifolia

Barleria rotundifolia
Common names: spiny yellow barleria, thorny bush violet, yellow barleria (Eng.); geelbarleria (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

The spiny Barleria rotundifolia is an evergreen shrub that produces beautiful butter-yellow flowers from December to late summer, and is ideal...

13 / 11 / 2006 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Leucospermum muirii

Flowers heads change colour
Common names: Albertinia pincushion ( Eng. ); bloukoolhout (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A neat, attractive and lime-loving specimen of the Proteaceae family, this bushy shrub will be a delightful display in a fynbos garden....

06 / 11 / 2006 | Monique Twine | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Bulbine abyssinica

Flowers
Common names: bushy bulbine (Eng.); geelkatstert, wildekopieva (Afr.); ibhucu (Zulu); intelezi (Xhosa); moetsa-mollo (Sotho)
Family: Asphodelaceae

The bushy bulbine, Bulbine abyssinica, is a hardy, water-wise plant that offers a brilliant yellow display when in flower. Inflorescences with...

06 / 11 / 2006 | Ronell R. Klopper | Pretoria NBG
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Prunus africana

Prunus africana
Common names: red stinkwood, African almond ( Eng. ); rooistinkhout, Afrika-amandel, Wilde-kersieboom (Afr.); Inyazangoma-elimnyama, Inkokhokho, Ngubozinyeweni, Umd
Family: Rosaceae

The fissured stem of this tree, popular for its medicinal properties, has been admired by many gardeners....

30 / 10 / 2006 | Siyabulela Nonjinge | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Crinum campanulatum

Crinum campanulatum
Common names: water crinum, marsh lily (Eng.); vleilelie (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The beautiful Crinum campanulatum from the Eastern Cape is an aquatic geophytic plant that deserves more recognition and attention in gardens of South...

30 / 10 / 2006 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Tricholaena monachne

Panicle inflorescence:Photo.M Koekemoer
Common names: blue seed grass (Eng.); blousaadgras (Afr.)
Family: Poaceae

Tricholaena monachne is an attractive grass with an open panicle inflorescence and green spikelets that are often flushed or almost entirely purple. It...

23 / 10 / 2006 | C Mudau | Pretoria NBG
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Geissorhiza aspera

Geissorhiza aspera
Common names: blue satin flower (Eng.), blousysie, syblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza aspera. a common sight in spring, is a diminutive little plant with star-like flowers, which floods the veld with shades of blue when grown...

23 / 10 / 2006 | C Cowell | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Impatiens flanaganiae

In flower
Common names: Mrs Flanagan's impatiens
Family: Balsaminaceae

Impatiens flanaganiae is a little known member of the popular busy lizzy family and has a lot of potential as a potplant or for growing near a shady water...

16 / 10 / 2006 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Erythrina caffra

Erythrina caffra (Alice Notten)
Common names: coast coral tree (Eng.); kuskoraalboom (Afr.); umsinsi (Zulu); umsintsi (Xhosa)
Family: Fabaceae

Erythrina is known as the red genus, and E. caffra is widely loved for its warm red to scarlet-coloured flowers, which appear from...

16 / 10 / 2006 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Streptocarpus johannis

Streptocarpus johannis
Common names: Port St Johns streptocarpus, Cape primrose
Family: Gesneriaceae

A rewarding pot plant with a cluster of whitish to pale violet, flat-faced summer flowers and soft green leaves, that can be grown indoors or in a sheltered...

09 / 10 / 2006 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyrtanthus macmasteri

C.macmasteri.  Image Cameron MacMaster
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Cyrtanthus macmasteri was described in 2003 after being found in 1994 by naturalist Cameron McMaster at the Bolo River Gorge in the Eastern Cape....

09 / 10 / 2006 | Suvarna Parbhoo | Pretoria NBG
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Lobostemon

Lobostemon fruticosus flowers
Common names: pajama bush
Family: Boraginaceae

This endemic genus, with numerous species of densely flowered, attractive shrubs, provides a splash of colour in the early spring, long before other popular...

02 / 10 / 2006 | M Buys | Compton Herbarium
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