Plants of the Week

Cussonia transvaalensis

Common names: grey cabbage tree (Eng.); vaal kiepersol (Afr.); motshetshe (Northern Sotho)

Family: Araliaceae

Cussonia transvaalensis is a striking, very useful tree as a focal point in the landscape, due to its strong architectural form; it may also be used...

03 / 10 / 2005 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Cyanella alba

Common names: white lady's-hand, white cyanella (Eng.); toe-toe-uintjie (Afr.)

Family: Tecophilaeaceae

...

15 / 08 / 2022 | Sithandokuhle Wendy Ngcongo | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyanella hyacinthoides

Common names: lady’s hand (Eng.); blouraaptol, dolraap, klipraap, raap, raapdol, raaptol, raaptoluintjie, raapuintjie, tolraap (Afr.)

Family: Tecophilaeaceae

...

10 / 08 / 2020 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Cyanella lutea subsp. lutea

Common names: five fingers, yellow lady’s hand (Eng.); geelraaptol (Afr.)

Family: Tecophilaeaceae

Cyanella lutea subsp. lutea is a rewarding, long-lived cormous perennial that blooms reliably every year. ...

20 / 07 / 2020 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Cyanotis speciosa

Common names: doll’s powderpuff (Eng.), bloupoeierkwassie (Afr.), khopo, theepe-balingoana (seSotho), inkombo, ingonga, umakhothigobile, umakotigoyile, udabulamaf

Family: Commelinaceae

Cyanotis speciosa is a perennial ground cover that provides all-year-round colour with its exquisite powderpuff flowers that are either blue, pink or purple....

08 / 07 / 2024 | Itumeleng Machete | Pretoria NBG

Cyathula natalensis

Common names: Natal cyathula, KZN hookweed (Eng.); Natalserondeklits (Afr.); munamumuhulwane (Tshivenda); xinama, rinama (Xitsonga)

Family: Amaranthaceae

A creeping herb cherished as a love charm in South Africa, as well as southern Mozambique by the Tsonga people. This herb’s sticky touch, thanks...

08 / 07 / 2024 | Eunezia Sitoe | CREW

Cyclopia genistoides

Common names: Honeybush tea, Heuningbos

Family: Fabaceae

Honeybush is well known in the Cape, not so much as a garden shrub, but as a herbal tea....

25 / 09 / 2000 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyclopia meyeriana

Common names: Meyer honeybush tea (Eng.); woltee, heuningtee (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

A decorative fynbos shrub covered with masses of bright yellow flowers in spring, and one of the species that give us Honeybush Tea....

23 / 05 / 2016 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyclopia pubescens

Common names: Algoa honeybush, fluffy honeybush (Eng.); Algoa-heuningtee, donsigheuningtee (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Cyclopia pubescens is a very attractive, yet highly threatened species, endemic to the extreme east of the Fynbos Biome. Its club-like clusters of vibrant...

20 / 09 / 2021 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW

Cycnium racemosum

Common names: large pink ink plant, large mountain ink flower, large pink mushroom flower (Eng.); berginkplant (Afr.); injanga (isiXhosa); uhlabahlangane (isiZulu)

Family: Orobanchaceae

An attractive mountain plant found in grassland on rocky outcrops, with large fragrant pink flowers in summer to early winter. Flowers turn black when...

08 / 04 / 2024 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG

Cylindrophyllum comptonii

Common names: Little Karoo finger vygie (Eng.); vingervygie (Afr.)

Family: Aizoaceae

Cylindrophyllum comptonii is a tough, mat-forming, cushion-like, succulent plant and thrives in nutrient-poor soils. With its finger-like leaves, this...

25 / 03 / 2019 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG

Cymbopogon caesius

Common names: common turpentine grass, broad-leaved turpentine grass (Eng.); lemoengras, buchugras (Afr.); iMbanjana (Ndebele); muWaa (Kalanga); Moshanyna-oa-marall

Family: Poaceae

Cymbopogon caesius is a densely tufted perennial grass, which has swollen lowest racemes (an unbranched inflorescence axis with pedicellate spikelets)...

22 / 06 / 2015 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cynodon dactylon

Common names: couch grass, quick grass, Bermunda quick grass, finger grass, running grass (Eng.); kweekgras, fynkweek, anosterkweek, renosterkweek, elandskweek, gem

Family: Poaceae

This well-known grass is adaptable and is found almost world-wide, from deserts to the lawn in your garden. Most gardeners, if not most people, will know...

03 / 04 / 2006 | C Mudau | Pretoria NBG

Cynoglossum hispidum

Common names: hound's tongue (Eng.); beestongblaar, knoppiesklitsbossie, ossetongblaar (Afr.); bohomenyana (Southern Sotho)

Family: Boraginaceae

This is a biennial or perennial herb with small, drooping, purplish red flowers. It is characterized by loosely branched inflorescences and fruits...

30 / 05 / 2005 | Elizabeth Retief | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cynorhiza typica

C. typica inflorescence in flower Photo: A. Magee ©

Common names: bierwortel, gatagaai, hondewortel (Afr.)

Family: Apiaceae

Cynorhiza typica is a striking wild carrot, the root of which was once commonly used in the West Coast region of the Cape to brew an intoxicating honey...

06 / 06 / 2011 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium

Cyperaceae

Common names: sedges (Eng.); biesies (Afr.)

Family: Cyperaceae

A large, cosmopolitan family of mostly herbaceous plants, Cyperaceae occur primarily in moist temperate to wet tropical regions of the world; several species...

01 / 08 / 2005 | Clare Archer | National Herbarium Pretoria

Cyperus papyrus

Common names: papyrus (Eng.); papirus (Afr.); the bulrush of the Bible

Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus papyrus is a stately aquatic member of the sedge family. The plants are easily cultivated and suitable for medium to large water features, especially...

24 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG

Cyperus prolifer

Common names: miniature papyrus

Family: Cyperaceae

Cyperus prolifer is an attractive, medium-sized member of the sedge family, suitable for waterside planting. Although much smaller, the plant bears a superficial...

31 / 05 / 2004 | Clare Archer | Pretoria NBG

Cyperus textilis

Common names: mat sedge, umbrella sedge, basket grass, rushes, emezi grass (Eng.); matjiesgoed, kooigoed, (Afr.); imisi (Xhosa)

Family: Cyperaceae

This is a decorative waterside plant that can also be used to weave baskets and sleeping mats or to make rolled twine....

26 / 05 / 2003 | Christien Malan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Cyphostemma juttae

Common names: wild grape, tree grape, Namibian grape (Eng.); droog-my-keel (Afr.)

Family: Vitaceae

The tree grape is a slow-growing succulent with a huge swollen trunk (caudiciform). ...

19 / 08 / 2002 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG

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