Plants of the Week

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

Stapelia gigantea

Flowering plant of Stapelia gigantea in habitat. (Photo Cameron McMaster)
Common names: giant stapelia, giant carrion flower, carrion flower (Eng.); reuseaasblom, aasblom, duikershoring, haasoor (Afr.); ililo elikhulu, isihlehle, uzililo
Family: Apocynaceae

Stapelia gigantea has the largest flowers (up to 40 cm across) of any plant in our region and is one of the easiest stapeliads to grow. Plants are widely...

12 / 04 / 2021 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stapelia leendertziae

Stapelia leendertziae
Common names: bell stapelia, Leendertz’s carrion flower, carrion chalice, carrion flower, rugose cup starfish, maroon cup starfish, star flower, black bells (Eng.
Family: Apocynaceae

Stapelia leendertziae is probably the most striking species of the genus Stapelia, especially when in flower, due to the unique, large, bell-shaped, deep...

20 / 12 / 2021 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stayneria neilii

In flower
Common names: white-flowered mesemb (Eng.); witblomvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Scarce in cultivation, this attractive water-wise succulent shrub is not well known in horticulture but is ideal for arid gardens in the winter-rainfall...

25 / 02 / 2013 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Steirodiscus tagetes

Steirodiscus tagetes
Common names: strandveld yellowweed (Eng.) geelkruid (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A small, wiry-stemmed annual with striking, yellow flowers in spring, endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region, and one of the most attractive annuals...

25 / 10 / 2021 | Nosipho Ndlovu | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stenoglottis fimbriata

Stenoglottis fimbriata
Common names: fringed Stenoglottis (Eng.); fraiing-stenoglottis (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

This charming, mauve, ground orchid is easily identified by the dark markings found on the leaves and flowers....

24 / 03 / 2003 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stenoglottis longifolia

Stenoglottis longifolia growing on its preferred rocky substrate
Common names: long-leaved stenoglottis
Family: Orchidaceae

The long-leaved stenoglottis is an attractive, relatively easy-to-grow orchid that charms with its graceful spikes of lilac to mauve flowers. It naturally...

11 / 11 / 2024 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stenoglottis woodii

Stenoglottis woodii
Family: Orchidaceae

This easy to grow, miniature, terrestrial orchid from the eastern seaboard of South Africa, provides a long-flowering summer display on a protected patio...

07 / 02 / 2005 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Stenostelma umbelliferum

Flowerhead
Family: Apocynaceae

Stenostelma umbelluliferum was recently moved to the genus Stenostelma. Previously known as Schizoglossum umbelluliferum, it  was rediscovered in...

31 / 03 / 2008 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stephania abyssinica

Stephania abyssinica
Common names: tale-telling plant (Eng.); verklikkerplant (Afr.); umbombo, umthambana, umthombo (isiZulu)
Family: Menispermaceae

A slender climbing plant with smooth, deep green, heart-shaped leaves and long twining stems, that can climb up to 10 m high....

10 / 04 / 2023 | Umpha Pharamela | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sterculia alexandri

Sterculia alexandri
Common names: Cape star-chestnut (Eng.); Kaapsesterkastaiing (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

Sterculia alexandri is a medium-sized, thickset tree with compound leaves and yellow flowers. It is endemic to the Eastern Cape, west of Port Elizabeth,...

30 / 11 / 2015 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sterculia murex

Immature fruits of S.murex.
Common names: lowveld chestnut(E), laeveld kastaiing (A) umbhaba (Swazi), mohlatsane (N Sotho)
Family: Malvaceae

It is not only the beauty of the flowers that creates interest in this tree, but also the unique appearance of its fruit and the lovely, palmately compound...

01 / 07 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sterculia rogersii

Sterculia rogersii flowers
Common names: star-chestnut (Eng.); sterkastaiing (Afr.); mokgwakgwatha (NS); samani, nsolodza (Ts)
Family: Malvaceae

This is a small tree with smooth bark flaking to reveal reddish to purple or yellowish under-bark and a characteristic thickset trunk. It has saucer-shaped,...

21 / 03 / 2011 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Stilbe ericoides

Stilbe ericoides
Common names: pink stilbe (Eng.)
Family: Stilbaceae

Pink stilbe is an erect or straggling, resprouting, ericoid shrub with densely leafy, velvety branches and pink flowers in dense, rounded spikes at the...

04 / 07 / 2022 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stilbe vestita

Stilbe vestita
Common names: grey stilbe
Family: Stilbaceae

Stilbe vestita is a fynbos shrub with upright stems that are covered with closely packed, needle-like leaves, and have dense spikes of small white flowers...

18 / 04 / 2022 | Siqamo Yeko | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stoebe

Stoebe rosea
Common names: hartebeeskaroobos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Not everyone will recognize members of this genus as belonging to the Asteraceae. There are no showy ray flowers and the white or pink disc flowers are...

21 / 06 / 2004 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Stoeberia arborea

Rounded inflorescence of flowers
Common names: tree mesemb ( Eng. ); rooi-vye, boomvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Stoeberia arborea is the largest member of the Mesembryanthemaceae. It is a woody, ascending shrub, 2 to 5 m tall and bearing small white flowers....

26 / 09 / 2005 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stoeberia carpii

In flower at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Vaalvygie
Family: Aizoaceae

Stoeberia carpii is one of six Stoeberia species endemic to the winter-rainfall region of South Africa and Namibia. They are shrubby leaf...

15 / 07 / 2013 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stoeberia giftbergensis

Stoeberia giftbergensis
Common names: Gifberg tree-mesemb (Eng.); Gifberg-boomvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A large, shrubby, leaf succulent with white to pink flowers in spring; it is a rare endemic of the Gifberg in the Western Cape....

15 / 08 / 2016 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stomatium mustellinum

Stomatium mustellinum
Common names: no English names recorded; kussingvygie (Afr.) (= Mesembryanthemum mustellinum Salm-Dyck, Stomatium pyrodorum (Diels) L.Bolus)
Family: Aizoaceae

In South African history from 1899-1902 British and Boer troops traversed the natural vegetation of the Free State in war. The vegetation they crossed...

06 / 05 / 2013 | L Kessler | Free State NBG
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Strelitzia alba

Strelitzia alba flower
Common names: white-flowered wild banana, Cape wild banana (Eng.); Kaapse witwildepiesang (Afr.); Isigude esimbalimhlophe (Nguni)
Family: Strelitziaceae

Strelitzia alba is the rarest of the three large banana-like Strelitzia species occurring in southern Africa which are separated by flower characteristics...

15 / 11 / 2010 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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