Plants of the Week

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

Colophospermum mopane

Leaves and pods
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
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Coleus venteri

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
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Coleus tenuicaulis

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
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Coleus subspicatus

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
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Coleus neochilus

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
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Coleus madagascariensis

Coleus madascariensis 'Lynne'
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
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Coleus livingstonei

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
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Coleus kirkii

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
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Coleus hadiensis

Coleus hadiensis inflorescence
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
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Coleus grandidentatus

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

...

19 / 12 / 2011 | Kyle Smith | Kirstenbosch NBG
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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
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Coleus amboinicus

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
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Coleotrype natalensis

Coleotrype natalensis showing leaves and flower
Common names: none recorded
Family: Commelinaceae

The genus Coleotrype is characterised by its extremely contracted inflorescences, with each unit being subtended by a relatively large bract, and the petals...

26 / 01 / 2015 | Aluwani Tshiila | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
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Coleonema pulchellum

Bush in flower
Common names: confetti bush
Family: Rutaceae

An aromatic, evergreen shrub covered with masses of starry pink flowers in winter and spring....

05 / 04 / 2004 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleonema calycinum

Bush in flower
Common names: confetti bush, broom buchu (Eng.); boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

...

30 / 07 / 2007 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleonema aspalathoides

Coleonema aspalathoides
Common names: confetti bush
Family: Rutaceae

Coleonema aspalathoides forms a dense upright shrub, 0.5 - 1 m tall. Bright pink, star-shaped flowers, 8-10 mm in diameter, are borne singly but in profusion...

23 / 07 / 2001 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleonema album

Coleonema album
Common names: Cape May, white confetti bush (Eng.), aasbossie, klipboegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

An aromatic evergreen shrub with masses of white flowers in winter and spring....

22 / 09 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Colchicum

Colchicum asteroides
Common names: cup and a saucer, men-in-a-boat (Eng.); bobbejaanskoen (Afr.)
Family: Colchicaceae

Members of the genus Colchicum are low, short-stemmed to stemless perennials with leaves spreading on the ground. The most noticeable characteristic of...

16 / 01 / 2006 | E T Rampho | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Cola greenwayi

Cola greewayi ©Geoff Nichols
Common names: hairy cola (Eng.); harige kola (Afr.); iNthandoti (Zulu)
Family: Malvaceae

Cola greenwayi is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, up to 25m tall with simple, alternate leaves that have a distinct hairy swelling below the blade...

20 / 01 / 2014 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Codonorhiza corymbosa

Codonorhiza corymbosa
Common names: blue cabong (Eng.); bloucabong, koringblom, koringblommetjie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

A cheerful bulbous plant with striking blue to purple blooms that does wonderfully when planted in containers on a sunny patio and helps attract an interesting...

07 / 01 / 2013 | Sarah-Leigh Hutchinson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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