Plants of the Week

Coleus amboinicus

Common names: African thyme, French thyme, country borage, Indian borage, Indian mint, broad-leaf thyme, soup mint (Eng.); Afrika-tiemie, krui-spoorsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

A sprawling perennial with strongly and pleasantly aromatic, fleshy, serrated leaves and mauve, two-lipped flowers in summer and autumn. A useful, easily...

04 / 05 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus genus

Coleus hadiensis 'Penge' (Photo Alice Notten)

Common names: coleus

Family: Lamiaceae

For many years, the plant we’ve known as coleus, was the popular garden plant with multi-coloured leaves, although its accepted scientific name was...

08 / 06 / 2020 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus grandidentatus

Common names: big-teeth coleus, scented-leaf coleus (Eng.); groottandsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

...

19 / 12 / 2011 | Kyle Smith | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus hadiensis

Common names: hairy coleus (Eng.); harigesalie (Afr.); ilozane (isiXhosa); lehlati, imbozisa (Zulu)

Family: Lamiaceae

An attractive perennial shrub, with decorative aromatic foliage, suitable for planting in humid, moist and lightly shaded areas in small gardens....

02 / 06 / 2014 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus kirkii

Common names: prickly sage, blue soldier sage (Eng.); stekelsalie (Afr.); umvuthuza, uhlalawane (Zulu)

Family: Lamiaceae

A beautiful perennial with two-tone, spiky, pale blue and mauve flowerheads in late summer to autumn; a good choice for the mixed border if you live in...

29 / 03 / 2004 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus livingstonei

Common names: hedgehog sage, large hedgehog flower, prickly sage, blue boys, nettle-leaf pycnostachys, dark blue pycnostachys (Eng.); ystervarksalie, groot ystervar

Family: Lamiaceae

An evergreen, aromatic, perennial, with beautiful spikes of blue flowers, which bloom very late in autumn. The species is a good choice for an informal...

16 / 03 / 2009 | Mandisa Kondlo | Walter Sisulu NBG

Coleus madagascariensis

Common names: thicket coleus, Madagascar coleus, candle plant (Eng.); ruigtemuishondblaar, Madagaskarmuishondblaar (Afr.); iboza lehlathi, ilozane (isiZulu)

Family: Lamiaceae

A robust, water-wise and attractive garden plant that will reliably provide colour in the garden....

09 / 06 / 2014 | Adam Harrower | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus neochilus

Common names: smelly coleus, blue coleus, lobster flower (Eng.); rotstuinsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

This is a hardy, versatile, aromatic herbaceous perennial, which forms an attractive groundcover even when the plant is not in flower and is suitable both...

31 / 05 / 2004 | T Mukoma | Lowveld NBG

Coleus subspicatus

Common names: spike spurflower, long-spiked spurflower, lavender spurflower (Eng.); ritsblom spoorsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

Coleus subspicatus is a versatile, attractive and resilient plant that offers both aesthetic appeal and everyday garden benefits, that has become a popular...

29 / 07 / 2024 | Sihle Nqentsu | Pretoria NBG

Coleus tenuicaulis

Common names: Angolan blue coleus (Eng.); Angola blouspoorsalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

Coleus tenuicaulis is an aromatic shrub with panicles of dark blue flowers in autumn and winter, from the southwestern highlands of Angola. Easily...

08 / 10 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG

Coleus venteri

Common names: Sekukuni coleus (Eng.); sekoekoeniesalie (Afr.)

Family: Lamiaceae

A relatively new species to horticulture, Coleus venteri is a unique, aromatic, sun-loving, water-wise shrub that is fast growing once established and...

30 / 04 / 2018 | Monique Mcquillan | Kirstenbosch NBG

Colophospermum mopane

Common names: mopane, turpentine tree (Eng.); mopanie (Afr.); mohlanare (Northern Sotho); mophane (Tswana)

Family: Fabaceae

These beautiful trees with their distinctive butterfly-shaped leaves and strange seeds are, for many, the essence of South Africa's lowveld areas,...

20 / 01 / 2003 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Colpias mollis

Common names: klipblom (Afr.)

Family: Scrophulariaceae

...

26 / 07 / 2004 | Hester Steyn | Pretoria NBG

Colpoon compressum

Common names: Cape sumach, coast tannin bush (Eng.); wildepruim, wurgbessie, basbessie, kuslooibas, namtarri (Afr.); mtekaaza, umbalanythi (Xhosa); umbulanyathi (Zu

Family: Santalaceae

Colpoon compressum, is a very decorative and useful plant in cultivation as well as in its natural habitat. It is a hemi-parasitic plant, in...

29 / 05 / 2006 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum

Common names: red bush willow (Eng.); rooiboswilg (Afr.); umbondwe (Zulu); imbondvo (Swazi); mohwidiri (Tswana); mohwelere (Sepedi); muvuvha (Tshivenda); ndhuva (Ts

Family: Combretaceae

Combretum apiculatum subsp. apiculatum is an attractive, deciduous, small to medium-sized tree that occurs in various savanna regions, often at low altitudes...

10 / 01 / 2011 | T.T. Masupa | Pretoria NBG

Combretum bracteosum

Common names: hiccough-nut, hiccup nut, hiccough creeper (Eng.); hikklimop (Afr.); uQotha (Xhosa)

Family: Combretaceae

The Combretum bracteosum is unique amongst our bushwillows in that it does not have the characteristic, papery, four-winged fruit which is familiar...

14 / 06 / 2004 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Combretum erythrophyllum

Common names: river bushwillow (Eng.), riviervaderlandswilg, rooiblaar, rooiblad (Afr.), umbondwe, umdubu-wehlandze, umhlalavane (Zulu), umdubu (Xhosa), miavana, mo

Family: Combretaceae

One of the winged wonders belonging to the bushwillow family, this medium-sized tree is a fast grower, producing creamy flowers and beautiful 4-winged...

30 / 06 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

Combretum hereroense

Common names: russet bushwillow, mouse-eared combretum (Eng.); kierieklapper (Afr.); mokabi (Northern Sotho); mugavhi (Venda); umhlalavane (Zulu)

Family: Combretaceae

Combretum hereroense is a valuable species that has interesting horticultural characters all year round; the leaves and seed pods turn coppery, and a touch...

06 / 05 / 2019 | Refilwe Maria Malatji | Pretoria NBG

Combretum imberbe

Common names: leadwood (Eng.); hardekool (Afr.); motswiri (Pedi); ummono (Sotho); mondzo (Tsonga); motswere (Tswana); umbondwe omnyama (Zulu); mohwelere-tshipi (Nor

Family: Combretaceae

Combretum imberbe is the most impressive of our combretums; even when it is dead, leadwood presents an imposing display, with its almost white trunk...

10 / 04 / 2006 | Patrick Mtsweni | Walter Sisulu NBG

Combretum kraussii

Common names: forest bushwillow (Eng.), bosvaderlandswilg (Afr.), uhwabhu, umdubu-wehlathi (Zulu), ulandile (Xhosa), imbondvo-lemhlophe, umdvubu (Swazi), modlubu (N

Family: Combretaceae

Handsome, quick growing and reasonably cold resistant, this tree is recommended for shady areas in gardens with a mild to warm climate....

07 / 07 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG

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