Plants of the Week

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E.g., 06/12/2024
E.g., 06/12/2024

Ledebouria reillyana

Ledebouria reillyana grows well in containders
Common names: Reilly’s African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A dwarf, cryptic bulbous plant, hidden deep in remote bush in the heart of Eswatini, usually producing one or two broad leaves and inconspicuous, strongly...

05 / 09 / 2022 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Aponogeton angustifolius

Aponogeton angustifolius showing white petals and ripe orange pollen. Photo Stuart Hall
Common names: delicate Cape-pondweed, narrow-leaved Cape-pondweed (Eng.); delikate waterblommetjie, wateruintjie (Afr.)
Family: Aponogetonaceae

Aponogeton angustifolius is a freshwater aquatic, with small, ornamental floating leaves and delicate, short sprays of white flowers. It is becoming increasingly...

05 / 09 / 2022 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Limeum aethiopicum

Limeum aethiopicum
Common names: pest lizard’s-foot (Eng.); koggelmandervoet, koggelmandervoetkaroo, aarbossie, boesmandagga (Afr.)
Family: Limeaceae

Limeum aethiopicum is a well-grazed veld plant, best suited to the arid areas because it is drought resistant....

29 / 08 / 2022 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Erica scytophylla

Erica scytophylla, pink form. Photo Alice Notten
Common names: leather-leaf heath (Eng.); leerblaarheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

This shrub produces white or pink flowers in spring and early summer, usually from September to December, and is ideal for container planting....

29 / 08 / 2022 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Sorocephalus imbricatus

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
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Chionanthus foveolatus subsp foveolatus

Chionanthus foveolatus, leaves, stem, green fruits. Photo Reuben Heydenrych
Common names: pock ironwood (Eng.); pokysterhout (Afr.); idlebedudu, idlabatheka (isiZulu); umdlebe, umqumaswele, isiduli (isiXhosa); musiri (Tshivenda); morasane (
Family: Oleaceae

Chionanthus foveolatus subsp. foveolatus is a fairly hardy, attractive, evergreen, forest tree bearing sweetly scented, white flowers in spring to summer,...

22 / 08 / 2022 | Fergy Nkadimeng | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Cyanella alba

Cyanella alba subsp. flavescens
Common names: white lady's-hand, white cyanella (Eng.); toe-toe-uintjie (Afr.)
Family: Tecophilaeaceae

...

15 / 08 / 2022 | Sithandokuhle Wendy Ngcongo | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Serruria elongata

Serruria elongata
Common names: long-stalk spiderhead (Eng.); langsteelspinnekopbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

Among the elegant fynbos plants belonging to the Proteaceae family is Serruria elongata, also known as the long-stalk spiderhead, with its silvery pink,...

15 / 08 / 2022 | Nomndeni Nkosi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus serpenticola

Gladiolus serpenticola
Common names: serpentine sword lily, serpentine gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

A striking, attractive, summer-flowering plant, with spectacular, giant flower spikes of 18 to 30, small, pale pink flowers with pale mauve markings on...

08 / 08 / 2022 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Kniphofia ichopensis

Kniphofia ichopensis
Common names: Ixopo red-hot poker (Eng.), Ixopovuurpyl (Afr.) icacane (isiZulu).
Family: Asphodelaceae

This is a delicate, grass-like plant, with dull green, distichous leaves and mostly creamy or rarely pink flowers in a lax inflorescence in summer....

08 / 08 / 2022 | Bongekile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Elionurus muticus

Elionurus muticus spikelet. Photo Marinda Koekemoer
Common names: wire grass, wire lemongrass, lemon grass, lemon-scented grass, matrass grass, silky grass, simon grass, sour grass, wine grass (Eng.); elsgras, haasgr
Family: Poaceae

Elionurus muticus is an ornamental grass that forms dense tufts with wiry, narrow leaf blades and showy, curved inflorescences. This grass is easily distinguished...

01 / 08 / 2022 | Aluoneswi Caroline Mashau | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Erica retorta

Erica retorta
Common names: hair-leaf bottle heath, bottle heath (Eng.), bottelheide, flessieheide (Afr.)
Family: Ericaceae

Erica retorta is one of the sticky-flowered ericas that grows on the dry mountain slopes above the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, in Betty’s...

01 / 08 / 2022 | Loretta Floors | Harold Porter NBG
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Thereianthus bulbiferus

Thereianthus bulbiferus, patent flowers
Common names: bulb-bearing summer pipes (Eng.); somerpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

An attractive plant with moderately dense spikes of light to mid-blue flowers that blossom in abundance in burnt veld, which makes it difficult to miss....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Drimia altissima

Drimia altissima
Common names: tall white squill (Eng.); jeukbol, maermanbol, maermanui (Afr.); lukhovu (Siswati), isiklenama, umahlokolosi, umgulube (isiZulu)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

If you are looking for one of those mass flowering, tall bulbs, this is the one....

25 / 07 / 2022 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Adromischus umbraticola

Adromischus umbraticola growing in the Magaliesberg. Photo Richard Gill
Common names: cliff adromischus (Eng); krans-brosplakkie (Afr)
Family: Crassulaceae

Adromischus umbraticola is a fast-growing, tufted, dwarf, succulent shrub, with attractive rounded leaves and short spikes of pink flowers in late summer....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Caroline Marima | Pretoria NBG
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Berkheya multijuga

Berkheya multijuga
Common names: spiny berg thistle, thorny mountain thistle (Eng.); doringrige-bergdissel (Afr.); mohatollo ntsoa-ntsane-ea-loti (seSotho); imboziso emhlophe, ukhakha
Family: Asteraceae

The roughness of the bright green leaves in a rosette formation makes the Berkheya multijuga irresistible to watch....

18 / 07 / 2022 | Sibahle Gumede | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Penaea cneorum

Penaea cneorum
Common names: common brickleaf, common noughts-and-crosses, naughty crosses (Eng.)
Family: Penaeaceae

Penaea cneorum is a lanky shrub with leathery foliage and compact spikes of small yellow flowers that rest upon distinctive greenish-yellow bracts and...

11 / 07 / 2022 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Monoculus monstrosus

Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.).
Family: Asteraceae

This plant is now called Osteospermum monstrosum (Burm.f.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt...

11 / 07 / 2022 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Tripteris clandestina

Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This plant is now called Osteospermum monstrosum (Burm.f.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt...

11 / 07 / 2022 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Osteospermum monstrosum

Osteospermum monstrosum
Common names: one-eye monster (Eng.); trekkertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Osteospermum monstrosum is arguably the commonest Namaqualand spring annual. Most people will have noticed these small plants with yellow flowerheads and...

11 / 07 / 2022 | Nicola Bergh | Compton Herbarium
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