Plants of the Week

Smicrostigma viride

Common names: no common names known

Family: Aizoaceae

This neat attractive succulent shrublet will make a great addition to a water-wise garden....

05 / 10 / 2015 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG

Solanum aculeastrum

Common names: goat bitter-apple, bitter-apple, goat apple, poison apple (Eng.); bok-bitterappel, bitterappel, bokappel, gifappel (Afr.); thola (Tswana); murulwa (Ve

Family: Solanaceae

...

01 / 03 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Solanum africanum

Common names: dune nightshade, drunken berry, drunken rope (Eng.); dronkbessie, dronktou (Afr.)

Family: Solanaceae

A hardy creeper or shrub, with yellow-centered, purple, mauve or white flowers in midsummer to spring. It can be successfully utilized to cover a trellis...

16 / 09 / 2019 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Solanum giganteum

Common names: healing-leaf tree, giant bitter-apple, red bitter-apple, red bitter-berry, thorny bug-tree (Eng.); geneesblaarboom, grootbitterappel, rooibitterbessie

Family: Solanaceae

This big shrub with its colourful, long-lasting berries and large leaves with silvery undersides, makes an unusual hedge or background plant....

19 / 01 / 2004 | M Welman | National Herbarium Pretoria

Sorghum bicolor

Common names: sorghum (Eng.); graansorghum (Afr); mabele (Pedi,Sotho,Ndebele); amabele(Z); amazimba (Xhosa)

Family: Poaceae

This crop plant has been cultivated in southern Africa for over 3 000 years....

31 / 01 / 2005 | E T Rampho | National Herbarium Pretoria

Sorocephalus imbricatus

Common names: tile-leaf clusterhead, tile-leaf powderpuff, gland-bearing soranthe (Eng.)

Family: Proteaceae

An outstanding shrub with rounded, sweetly scented flowerheads of white, silky hairy flowers with maroon perianths and pink bracts, that displays its horticultural...

22 / 08 / 2022 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG

Sparaxis auriculata

Common names: Matsikamma sparaxis, ear satinflower (Eng.), fluweelblom, fluweeltjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

A flowering bulbous plant with large, bright mauve and yellow, two-lipped flowers with six petals. It is a local endemic from the Matsikamma Mountains...

27 / 11 / 2023 | Sisipho Mqungguthu | Karoo Desert NBG

Sparaxis elegans

Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, pale harlequin flower (Eng.); spogfluweeltjie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis elegans is, as its name suggests, one of the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing species the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) has to...

09 / 06 / 2014 | Brittany Arendse | CREW

Sparaxis grandiflora subsp. grandiflora

Flower showing vertical anthers and style to one side

Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis (Eng.); botterblom, ferweel, ferweeltjie, fluweeltjie, perskalkoentjie, perskalossie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Sparaxis grandiflora is indeed an attractive species and it is not surprising that it was introduced to Kew Gardens as early as 1758. However, as Du Plessis...

14 / 08 / 2006 | Caitlin Von Witt | CREW

Sparaxis maculosa

Common names: Cape buttercup, sparaxis, wandflower (Eng.); botterblom, ferweel, ferweeltjie, fluweeltjie, geelkalkoentjie, geelkalossie (Afr.)

Family: Iridaceae

Known from only two localities, one recently discovered, this spectacularly large-flowered species is sadly frail in its magnificence, a shadow cast upon...

17 / 03 / 2008 | Caitlin Von Witt | CREW

Sparrmannia africana

Common names: Cape stock rose, wild stock rose, African hemp, Cape hollyhock (Eng.); Kaapse stokroos, wildestokroos (Afr.)

Family: Malvaceae

Sparrmannia africana is an easy-to-grow large shrub for a shady area with lush, soft, heart-shaped leaves and pretty white flowers with a puff of...

08 / 04 / 2013 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG

Spatalla mollis

Common names: woolly spoon

Family: Proteaceae

Spatalla mollis boasts attractive flower headlets of white or mauve flowers from July to December. The small shrubs blend in well with the surrounding...

29 / 10 / 2012 | Benjamin Festus | Harold Porter NBG

Sphagnum

Common names: peat moss, bog moss, turf moss

Family: Sphagnaceae

Sphagnum is a cosmopolitan as well as economically and ecologically important genus of mosses. ...

23 / 03 / 2009 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria

Sphenostylis angustifolia

Common names: wild sweet-pea (Eng.); wilde-ertjie (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

Sphenostylis angustifolia, or the wild sweet-pea, is a lovely green perennial shrublet with an extensive woody rootstock that decorates the Highveld with...

01 / 12 / 2008 | Alicia Grobler | National Herbarium Pretoria

Spiloxene

Common names: golden star (Eng.); sterretjie (Afr.)

Family: Hypoxidaceae

...

24 / 09 / 2007 | D Snijman | Compton Herbarium

Spirostachys africana

Common names: tamboti (Eng.); tambotie (Afr.); umThombothi (Zulu); Modiba (Northern Sotho); umThombotsi (siSwati); Ndzopfori (Tsonga); Morukuru (Tswana); Muonze (ts

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Renowned for its beautiful wood, Spirostachys africana is a medium-sized, semi-deciduous tree with a round crown which occurs in low altitude bushveld,...

04 / 10 / 2004 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG

Sporobolus africanus

Common names: rat’s tail dropseed, rat’s tail grass, rush grass, tough dropseed (Eng.); fynsaadgras, saadgras, taaipol, vleigras, rotstert, taaipolfynsaadgras (

Family: Poaceae

Sporobolus africanus is a tough, palatable, perennial grass with a low leaf production. It is a good indicator of disturbed veld....

24 / 06 / 2019 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria

Staavia radiata

Common names: mini diamond eyes (Eng.); altydbos, altydbossie, glasogies (Afr.)

Family: Bruniaceae

A daisy-like fynbos shrub and a favourite in horticulture, with a good reputation, as it responds well to being trimmed and maintained, once propagated....

24 / 05 / 2021 | Siqamo Yeko | Kirstenbosch NBG