Plants of the Week

Berula repanda

Common names: Water parsnip

Family: Apiaceae

Berula repanda is a luxuriantly foliaged plant, ideal for a garden pond or wet patch, and it is in full flower now....

11 / 02 / 2013 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium

Bersama tysoniana

Common names: white ash, common white ash, common bersama, forest white ash, bitterbark, wild quinine tree (Eng.); witessenhout, gewone witessenhout, basternieshout

Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama tysoniana is an attractive tree because of its dense foliage, russet-brown new growth and knobbly fruits that split into quarters, exposing red...

30 / 07 / 2018 | Nonkululeko Ntshangase | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium

Bersama lucens

Common names: glossy white ash (Eng.); blinkblaarwitessenhout (Afr.); isindiyandiya (Xhosa); undiyaza (Zulu)

Family: Melianthaceae

Bersama lucens is not a common garden plant, rather a specialist specimen that still needs to be promoted in the garden fraternity....

09 / 07 / 2007 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berkheya setifera

Common names: buffalo-tongue thistle (Eng.); rasperdissel, rasperdisseldoring (Afr); ikhakhasi, ulimi-lwenkomo, ulimi-lwenyathi (isiZulu); indlebe-lenkomo (isiXhosa

Family: Asteraceae

A robust perennial, with profuse, bright yellow flowers and bristly leaves; one of the 71 species that are found in South Africa out of the 75 species...

24 / 02 / 2020 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Berkheya purpurea

Common names: purple berkheya (Eng.); bloudisseldoring (Afr.); Sehlohlo (SS)

Family: Asteraceae

A prickly thistle, Berkheya purpurea turns into a surprisingly beautiful perennial when flowering in midsummer....

31 / 01 / 2005 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Berkheya multijuga

Common names: spiny berg thistle, thorny mountain thistle (Eng.); doringrige-bergdissel (Afr.); mohatollo ntsoa-ntsane-ea-loti (seSotho); imboziso emhlophe, ukhakha

Family: Asteraceae

The roughness of the bright green leaves in a rosette formation makes the Berkheya multijuga irresistible to watch....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

Berkheya griquana

Common names: East Griqualand African thistle, East Griqualand berkheya (Eng.); Griekwaland-Oos-bergdissel (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

This robust yellow African Thistle flourishes in the grasslands of East Griqualand.Fig. 1. Bright yellow flower head of Berkheya griquana. ...

27 / 02 / 2023 | Kaveesha Naicker | CREW

Berkeya barbata

Common names: coast thistle (Eng.); kus-dissel (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

A beauty to admire but painful to touch: handle with care. These sunflower-like daisies often make very attractive displays, but the thorns on the leaves,...

21 / 01 / 2013 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Bergeranthus scapiger

Common names: polvygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

A dwarf, clump-forming, water-wise succulent, with smooth, glossy leaves and branched clusters of golden-yellow flowers in winter and spring. It is grown...

13 / 01 / 2020 | Sihle Nqentsu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Bergbambos tessellata

Common names: Drakensberg bamboo, wild bamboo, African bamboo, southern mountain bamboo (Eng.); bergbamboes (Afr.); uduli, uqalo (Xho.)

Family: Poaceae

This is one of only two species of bamboo that are indigenous to South Africa. It is a small, tough bamboo that will tolerate wind and frost, preferring...

15 / 04 / 2019 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG

Berchemia zeyheri

Common names: red ivorywood, purple ivory, pink ivory (Eng.); rooi-ivoor, rooihout (Afr.); monee (Sesothosa Leboa); umNeyi (siSwati); xiniyani (Xitsonga); moye (Set

Family: Rhamnaceae

The Berchemia zeyheri tree is valuable to the people, animals and birds of South Africa....

30 / 05 / 2005 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG

Berchemia discolor

Common names: birdplum, brown ivory (Eng.); bruinivoor, voëlpruim (Afr.); mogokgomo (Sepedi); nyiyi, nyiri (Xitsonga); motsintsila (Setswana); munie (Tshivenda), n

Family: Rhamnaceae

Birdplum or brown ivory is an attractive garden tree, with tough, yellow-brown wood that makes excellent furniture and sticks. Berchemia discolor is also...

29 / 02 / 2016 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria

Begonia homonyma

Common names: large-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); idlula (Zul.)

Family: Begoniaceae

A soft, fleshy perennial with a swollen stem base, red-tinged stems and white or pink flowers in summer. It is an attractive, shade garden plant and pot...

13 / 07 / 2020 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Begonia geranioides

Common names: geranium-leaved wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula ilimhlophe (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

...

06 / 09 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Begonia dregei

Common names: dwarf wild begonia, maple-leaved begonia, wild begonia (Eng.); wildebegonia (Afr.); iDlula (IsiZulu)

Family: Begoniaceae

Begonia dregei is a spectacular herbaceous, summer-flowering, shade-loving perennial that makes an excellent indoor display pot plant. It is an evergreen...

14 / 06 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG

Becium obovatum

See Ocimum obovatum...

04 / 07 / 2005 | | Kirstenbosch NBG

Bauhinia tomentosa

Common names: Yellow Bauhinia (Eng) Geelbeesklou (Afr): IsiThibathibana (Zulu)

Family: Fabaceae

This medium to large shrub with its attractive, light green, two-lobed leaves produces beautiful, bright yellow flowers with black to maroon coloured centres...

16 / 05 / 2005 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Bauhinia petersiana subsp. macrantha

Common names: Kalahari bauhinia, Kalahari camel’s foot, coffee neat's foot (Eng.); kalaharibauhinia, kalaharibeesklou, koffiebeesklou (Afr.); motsantsa, mogotswe

Family: Fabaceae

This low-growing, evergreen tree or scrambler, boasts with large, pleasantly scented white flowers in midsummer....

17 / 09 / 2018 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG