Plants of the Week

Browse through all previous entries of Plants Of The Week

  • Sort by date added
  • Sort Alphabetically
Go to Plants of the Week Advanced Search
E.g., 25/11/2024
E.g., 25/11/2024

Serruria florida

Serruria florida in flower
Common names: blushing bride, pride of Franschhoek (Eng.); skaamblom, trots van Franschhoek (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

The delicate beauty of Serruria florida justifies its recognition as the most beautiful of the genus....

12 / 11 / 2007 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria fucifolia

Serruria fucifolia shrub
Common names: northern spiderhead (Eng.); sandveldspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria fucifolia is a charming medium-sized fynbos shrub. During late winter and early spring it is covered in sweetly-scented silver-pink flowers....

18 / 07 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria furcellata

Serruria furcellata
Common names: Kraaifontein spiderhead (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered spiderhead is being squeezed from its home by urbanization near greater Cape Town....

06 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria glomerata

Serruria glomerata shrub
Common names: cluster spiderhead (Eng.); spinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria glomerata is an attractive fynbos shrub that belongs in the Protea Family and occurs naturally only on the Cape Peninsula. Its compact rounded...

02 / 08 / 2010 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria rosea

Serruria rosea flower heads
Common names: rose spiderhead, bridesmaid spiderhead (Eng.); strooimeisie, bruidsbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria rosea is one of the showiest spiderheads, producing a spectacular display of up to 20 rose-pink tightly clustered flower heads per stem....

23 / 08 / 2010 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria trilopha

Serruria trilopha
Common names: trident spiderhead, sand spiderhead, snake-stem spiderhead, three-crested spiderhead (Eng.); slangspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

This critically endangered member of the protea family makes an unusual addition to sandy coastal gardens....

13 / 10 / 2003 | Trevor Adams | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria triternata

Serruria triternata flowerheads and foliage
Common names: Tulbagh spiderhead, dill-leaf serruria (Eng.)
Family: Proteaceae

The Tulbagh spiderhead is a charming fynbos shrub suited to an informal indigenous garden. It is rather nondescript when not flowering but in spring time...

22 / 08 / 2011 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria villosa

Serruria villosa
Common names: golden spiderhead, valley spiderhead (Eng.); gouespinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Serruria villosa is a charming sweetly scented shrublet suited to the wild fynbos garden....

16 / 04 / 2012 | Louise Nurrish | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Serruria zeyheri

Serruria zeyheri
Common names: matchstick spiderhead (Eng.); vuurhoutjiespinnekopbossie (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

A rarely seen, rounded shrub with impressive, loosely aggregated flowerheads made up of flowers that look like matchsticks before they open....

20 / 06 / 2022 | Mane Somtshu | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Sesamum eriocarpum

Dicerocaryum eriocarpum (Nicola van Berkel, iSpot)
Common names: devil’s thorn (Eng.); beesdubbeltjie, duiwelsdoring, seepbos (Afr.); intekelane (Ndebele); makanagwe (Tswana)
Family: Pedaliaceae

Sesamum eriocarpum is a perennial herb which creeps along the ground in the Kalahari, with beautiful, bright mauve flowers that magnificently compliment...

30 / 01 / 2017 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Sesamum saxicola

Sesamum saxicola
Common names: rock foxglove (Eng.); rotsvingerhoedblom (Afr.)
Family: Pedaliaceae

With the Soutpansberg in the extreme north eastern Venda and Kruger National Park being its only home, Sesamum saxicola grows in sandstone crevices, overhanging...

25 / 09 / 2023 | Ntsakisi Masia | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
Read More

Sesamum senecioides

Dicerocaryum senecioides
Common names: devil’s thorn, boot protectors, stud plant (Eng.); elandsdoring (Afr.); museto (Tshivenda)
Family: Pedaliaceae

A prostrate perennial, with annual creeping stems and white to pinkish flowers. It takes over open spaces in grassland and it is used as substitute for...

10 / 05 / 2021 | Meshack Nethavhani | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
Read More

Sesamum sp. aff. reniforme

Flowers with seed capsule forming © P Winter
Common names: Limpopo foxglove
Family: Pedaliaceae

One of several previously undocumented species in the dry savanna of Limpopo Province, the Limpopo foxglove yearns for the bit of limelight it surely deserves....

19 / 09 / 2005 | Pieter Winter | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Sesamum trilobum

Sesamum trilobum growing in Kirstenbosch
Common names: wild foxglove, African foxglove, false foxglove (Eng.); vingerhoedblom, wildevingerhoedjie (Afr.); ludvonca, udonqa (SiSwati); udonqa, undoncalwabathw
Family: Pedaliaceae

Flowering during the warm summer and into autumn, this tall elegant annual adds a cool and lush feeling to the garden. In nature they are commonly found...

21 / 09 / 2023 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Setaria megaphylla

Setaria megaphylla
Common names: ribbon grass, broad-leafed bristle grass
Family: Poaceae

Setaria megaphylla may be found along rivers in low-lying areas or forests and in dense bushveld where there is plenty of moisture. ...

29 / 04 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More

Setaria verticillata

Setaria verticillata
Common names: bristly foxtail grass, bur bristlegrass, cat’s tails, klits setaria, love grass (Eng.); kat(te)stert(gras), klawergras, kleefgras, klitsgras, steekg
Family: Poaceae

Setaria verticillata is a species of grass known by the common name, bur bristlegrass. It is easily distinguished from other Setaria species by retrorsely...

14 / 05 / 2018 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
Read More

Sida

Sida cordifolia
Common names: fanpetals, mallows, sidas (Eng.)
Family: Malvaceae

Sida’s weed-like habit and small flowers keep it away from the popularity enjoyed by its tropical splendour relative, the Hibiscus. The attraction...

26 / 02 / 2018 | Sushant Sharma | KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
Read More

Sideroxylon inerme

Foliage and flower buds  of Sideroxylon inerme
Common names: white milkwood ( Eng. ); witmelkhout, melkhoutboom, melkbessie (Afr.); aMasethole, umQwashu (Xhosa); aMasethole-amhlope, uMakhwela-fingqane (Zulu)
Family: Sapotaceae

...

26 / 06 / 2006 | Freddie Bosman | Kirstenbosch NBG
Read More

Silene undulata

Silene undulata © Tony Dold
Common names: dream root, gun powder plant, campion (Eng.); unozitholana, ubulawu, undlela zimhlophe (isiXhosa); kleinwildetabak (Afr.)
Family: Caryophyllaceae

This small herb is used as a 'dream plant'....

30 / 09 / 2013 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
Read More

Siphonochilus aethiopicus

Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Common names: Natal ginger, Wild ginger (English); Wildegemmer (Afrikaans); indungulo, isiphephetho (Zulu)
Family: Zingiberaceae

...

11 / 03 / 2002 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
Read More