Plants of the Week

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E.g., 08/10/2024
E.g., 08/10/2024

Arctotis arctotoides

Arctotis arctotoides
Common names: botterblom (Afrikaans), putswa-pududu (South Sotho), ubushwa (isiXhosa)
Family: Asteraceae

Arctotis arctotoides is a fast-growing, soft, herbaceous groundcover that forms carpets of light green foliage decorated with cheerful, butter-yellow daisy...

19 / 08 / 2002 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cyphostemma juttae

Leaves and berries
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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Drosanthemum speciosum

Drosanthemum speciosum
Common names: Worcester-Robertson vygie, Red ice-plant (Eng.), Bergvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

Brilliant, vibrant, stunning, barely describe this vygie, which is one of the plants that makes the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden in Worcester...

26 / 08 / 2002 | Werner Voigt | Karoo Desert NBG
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Strelitzia reginae 'Mandela's Gold'

Strelitzia reginae 'Mandela's gold'
Common names: Mandela's Gold strelitzia, yellow strelitzia, yellow crane flower, yellow bird of paradise, geelkraanvoel blom, geel piesang
Family: Strelitziaceae

Strelitzia reginae 'Mandela's Gold' is a rare yellow form of the well-known crane flower, Strelitzia reginae....

26 / 08 / 2002 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Erythrina lysistemon

Erythrina lysistemon in spring
Common names: common coral tree, lucky bean tree (E), gewone koraalboom, kanniedood (A), umsintsi (X), muvhale (V), mophete (Tsw), mokhungwane (Sotho), umsinsi (Z)
Family: Fabaceae

Erythrina lysistemon is a lovely, small to medium-sized, deciduous tree with a spreading crown and brilliant red flowers. It is a handsome tree at...

02 / 09 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Tylecodon paniculatus

Tylecodon paniculatus
Common names: butter tree (Eng.); botterboom, baadtjies (Afrik.)
Family: Crassulaceae

Tylecodon paniculatus is a stocky, caudiciform, arborescent succulent that occurs over a wide area. ...

02 / 09 / 2002 | Ian Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Felicia josephinae

Family: Asteraceae

This charming, low-growing annual has only recently been named and described (Bothalia October 2002), although it was first collected in 1933 by C Louis...

02 / 09 / 2002 | John Manning | Compton Herbarium
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Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana
Common names: dwarf ox-tongue, lilliput gasteria (Eng.), klein-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana is a rare, dwarf succulent perennial with leaves in a rosette. It is one of the smallest of the gasterias,...

09 / 09 / 2002 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Kleinia fulgens

Kleinia fulgens
Common names: coral senecio
Family: Asteraceae

This is a stunning, grey-leafed plant with a profusion of scarlet flowers. It is ideal for hot, dry spots in the garden....

16 / 09 / 2002 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Leucadendron macowanii

Leucadendron macowanii, male flowerheads.
Common names: acacia-leaf conebush, wattle-leaf conebush
Family: Proteaceae

This is a fast-growing shrub with narrow, dark green leaves, bright yellow flower heads in profusion on the male plants in winter, and dark red cones on...

16 / 09 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pelargonium tomentosum

Pelargonium tomentosum
Common names: peppermint pelargonium, peppermint-scented pelargonium, pennyroyal pelargonium, piperitum (Eng.); pepermentmalva (Afr.)
Family: Geraniaceae

With its large, velvety, mint-scented foliage and dainty white flowers, Pelargonium tomentosum makes a rather attractive garden plant in semi-shade, and...

23 / 09 / 2002 | Ebrahim Lawrence | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Acmadenia mundiana

Acmadenia mundiana
Common names: De Hoop porcelain flower (Eng.), De Hoop-boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

This attractive shrub with grey-green foliage carries bright pink star-shaped flowers almost all year round but mainly in winter and spring....

30 / 09 / 2002 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dermatobotrys saundersii

Dermatobotrys saundersii
Common names: tree jockey
Family: Scrophulariaceae

Dermatobotrys saundersii is unusual in that it is an epiphytic shrublet, which grows in the forks of a variety of trees, and occasionally on the forest...

30 / 09 / 2002 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Gerbera jamesonii

Gerbera jamesonii
Common names: Barberton daisy, gerbera daisy (E) ; rooigousblom (A)
Family: Asteraceae

This beautiful daisy is a deservedly popular garden plant throughout the world and is one of the parents of the many showy Gerbera hybrids seen in florist...

07 / 10 / 2002 | Isabel Johnson | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Senecio glastifolius

Senecio glastifolius
Common names: large wild cineraria, holly-leaf senecio (Eng.); waterdissel (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

In late spring it is difficult to miss Senecio glastifolius at Kirstenbosch, for it fills many of the beds with splashes of mauve....

07 / 10 / 2002 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ensete ventricosum

Ensete ventricosum with Strelitzia in foreground
Common names: wild banana, African wild banana (Eng.), wildepiesang (Afr.), motholo (Sepedi), mulala (Tshivenda)
Family: Musaceae

This relative of the edible banana is a valuable landscaping plant. Its form, texture and large leaves with conspicuous red midribs, create a lush, tropical...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Siyabulela Nonjinge | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Greyia flanaganii

Flowers
Common names: Kei bottlebrush (E), Kei baakhout (A), uSinga lwamaxhegokazi (X).
Family: Melianthaceae

Greyia flanaganii has great horticultural potential as a spring flowering shrub that is yet to be fully explored by growers and gardeners. This tree...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cussonia paniculata

Mature Cussonia paniculata
Common names: mountain cabbage tree (Eng.), bergkiepersol (Afr.), umsenge (X, Sw) umsengembuzi (Z)
Family: Araliaceae

This evergreen tree makes a beautiful focal point in a garden as it has an unusual shape, interesting gnarled bark and stunning, large, grey-green leaves....

21 / 10 / 2002 | Peter Gavhi | Free State NBG
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Restio quadratus

Restio quadratus
Common names: square-stem restio, flats restio (Eng.) vlakteriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

Restio quadratus is a tall reed-like plant with a spreading habit. ...

21 / 10 / 2002 | Hanneke Jamieson | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ixia viridiflora

Ixia viridiflora
Common names: green ixia (Eng.); groenkalossie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Ixia viridiflora is one of the most striking and unusual of our winter-rainfall bulbous plants and very few plants can beat it for sheer brilliance of...

28 / 10 / 2002 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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