Plants of the Week

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E.g., 25/11/2024
E.g., 25/11/2024

Scabiosa incisa

Scabious incisa
Common names: coast scabious (Eng.), koringblommetjie (Afr.), isilawu esikhulu, iyeza lamehlo (Xhosa)
Family: Dipsacaceae

Scabiosa incisa with its large mauve or white flowers must be one of South Africa's prettiest indigenous perennials. Growing in small clumps, the flowerheads...

08 / 12 / 2003 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scadoxus membranaceus

Scadoxus membranaceus
Common names: dwarf paintbrush, (Eng.); seeroogblom (Afr.); idumbi (Zul.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This beautiful, compact growing, evergreen Scadoxus has spirally arranged leaves and striking red flowerheads that resemble a paint brush, surrounded by...

29 / 10 / 2018 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. katharinae

Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. katharinae
Common names: fireball lily, blood flower, katharine wheel, poison root (Eng.); bloedblom, gifwortel (Afr.); inkupulwane (isiXhosa); idunjana, ubukhoswane (isiZulu)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

This plant explodes into flower, producing huge orange-red flower balls in mid to late summer, it's a plant for semi-shade or shade in well-watered,...

26 / 02 / 2001 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scadoxus puniceus

Scadoxus puniceus
Common names: Paintbrush lily, Snake lily (E), Rooikwas (Afr), isisphompho, umgola (Z)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

The spectacular paintbrush lily is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants. This species is quite variable and a number of different forms...

08 / 10 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Sceletium tortuosum

Sceletium tortuosum
Common names: kanna, tortuose fig marigold (Eng.); kanna, kougoed, tandtrekbos (Afr.); kanna (Khoi)
Family: Aizoaceae

Sceletium tortuosum is one of the oldest mesembs known to the western world. It became known to the early colonizers of the Cape in the 17th century and...

16 / 05 / 2005 | Pascale Chesselet | Compton Herbarium
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Schefflera umbellifera

Schefflera umbellifera
Common names: false cabbage tree (Eng.); valskiepersol (Afr.); umsenge, umkisiso(Xhosa); umsenge, umgezisa, umbumbu, umbegele, umsengembuzi (Zulu); umsengambuti (Sw
Family: Araliaceae

This tree is an upright tree with a rounded crown suitable for a courtyard or gardens with limited space. It was selected as one of the South African Trees...

21 / 02 / 2005 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Schistostephium rotundifolium

Schistostephium rotundifolium
Common names: round-leaf flat-flower (Eng.); imadliwazimbuzi (Zul.)
Family: Asteraceae

A bushy shrub with decorative foliage and attractive yellow flowerheads in autumn to winter, suitable for sun or semi-shade....

21 / 05 / 2018 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Schizaea pectinata

Schizaea pectinata
Common names: curly grass-fern; cockscomb fern, toothbrush fern (Eng.); grasvaring (Afr.)
Family: Schizaeaceae

Is it a restio? Is it a sedge? No! It is Schizaea pectinata. When walking in the fynbos of the Western Cape of South Africa, one is likely to come across...

29 / 07 / 2019 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Schizocarphus nervosus

Schizocarphus nervosus. Image Geoff Nichols
Common names: white scilla, white wild squill (Eng.); sandlelie (Afr.); seboka (Sesotho); imbita-yebantwana, ndvwendvweni (siSwati); sabantwana, umagaqana, inkwitel
Family: Hyacinthaceae

...

20 / 07 / 2015 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Schotia afra var. afra

Schotia afra var.afra
Common names: Karoo boer-bean (Eng.), Karoohuilboerboon (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

This delightful, small, water-wise tree is a must for the home gardener who wants an attractive evergreen tree. ...

10 / 03 / 2003 | Roger Oliver | Karoo Desert NBG
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Schotia brachypetala

Schotia brachypetala in Kirstenbosch NBG.
Common names: weeping boer-bean, tree fuchsia, African walnut (Eng.); huilboerboon (Afr.); umfofofo, umgxam, ishimnumyane (Xhosa), ihluze, umgxamu, uvovovo (Zulu),
Family: Fabaceae

A handsome tree with a wide-spreading, rounded crown, and bright red, nectar-filled flowers in spring and early summer that attract many birds and insects;...

03 / 09 / 2001 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Schotia capitata

Schotia capitata
Common names: dwarf boer-bean, forest tree-fuschia, wild-fuschia, Transvaal boer-bean (Eng.); kleinboerboon, transvaalboerboon (Afr.); isincasha, uvovovo (Zulu).
Family: Fabaceae

A dwarf relative of the weeping boer-bean, with a short, bushy form and numerous scarlet flowers in dense heads in spring and early summer, common in eastern...

31 / 08 / 2020 | Thabang Makola | Karoo Desert NBG
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Schotia latifolia

Flowers
Common names: forest boer-bean, bush boer-bean (Eng.); bosboerboon, boerboontjie (Afr.); umGxam, umXamo (isiXhosa); umGxamu (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

The attractive pink blooms of the forest boer-bean are probably its most distinctive feature, unlike its close relatives, the weeping boer-bean (Schotia...

16 / 04 / 2007 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Schrebera alata

Schrebera alata flowers
Common names: wild jasmine, wing-leafed wooden pear, (Eng.); wildejasmyn, houtpeer (Afr.); mulungwi (Venda); umGwenye-hlangula (Xhosa); umGwenya-hlungulu, umSishane
Family: Oleaceae

Wild jasmine anoints your garden with a pleasant, sweet-scented fragrance and glorifies it with white to dark pinkish red flowers during the summer season....

04 / 01 / 2010 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Scilla natalensis

This plant is now called Merwilla plumbea....

| | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Sclerocarya birrea

Fruits and leaves
Common names: marula (Eng.); morula (Northern Sotho); mufula (Tshivenda); ukanyi (Tsonga)
Family: Anacardiaceae

The edible fruits and the multiple uses associated with almost all parts of the marula, make it one of southern Africa's most valued trees....

27 / 10 / 2003 | Thompson T Mutshinyalo | Pretoria NBG
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Sclerochiton harveyanus

Sclerochiton harveyanus foliage and flowers
Common names: blue lips (Eng.); blou-lippe (Afr.); mazabuka (Swati); isiThibothi (Xhosa)
Family: Acanthaceae

Unusually lipped, mauve-blue flowers create a pretty floral display on this shade-loving shrub with its attractive glossy green foliage....

30 / 08 / 2010 | Sarah Curtis | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Scolopia mundii

Fruits and leaves of Scolopia mundi
Common names: red pear, mountain saffron (Eng.); rooipeer, doringpeer, bergsaffraan, klipdoring (Afr.); uLoyiphela, umdwendwelencuba, iHlambahlale, inGqumuza, iDung
Family: Salicaceae

Scolopia mundii is a graceful and attractive tree producing glossy, dark green leaves and striking yellow to orange fruits. It is relatively widespread...

22 / 08 / 2005 | Jan-Hakon Burring | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Searsia batophylla

Searsia batophylla
Common names: bramble currant (Eng.); braamtaaibos (Afr.)
Family: Anacardiaceae

The bramble currant is a shrub with conspicuously bicoloured (two-coloured), bramble-like leaves which make it easy to identify.This plant was previously...

08 / 07 / 2013 | J K Baloyi | Pretoria NBG
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Searsia burchellii

Searsia burchellii, in fruit
Common names: Karoo kunibush (Eng.); karookoeniebos (Afr.); mokhoamphiri, tshilabele (Sesotho); motshôtlhô (Tswana)
Family: Anacardiaceae

A much-branched, evergreen shrub or small tree with small, glossy, waxy leaves, common in the dry karroid regions of southern Africa, that is frost hardy...

05 / 12 / 2016 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG
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