Plants of the Week

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E.g., 12/11/2024
E.g., 12/11/2024

Euchaetis albertiniana

Euchaetis albertiniana
Common names: Albertinia bearded buchu, Albertinia mothflower
Family: Rutaceae

An amazingly hardy, small shrub from the limestone fynbos. It’s a diehard and can last for years! This endangered shrublet is a useful filler for...

11 / 05 / 2020 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coleus amboinicus

Coleus amboinicus
Common names: African thyme, French thyme, country borage, Indian borage, Indian mint, broad-leaf thyme, soup mint (Eng.); Afrika-tiemie, krui-spoorsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

A sprawling perennial with strongly and pleasantly aromatic, fleshy, serrated leaves and mauve, two-lipped flowers in summer and autumn. A useful, easily...

04 / 05 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Elegia fenestrata

Elegia fenestrata
Common names: stream golden-reed
Family: Restionaceae

This rare restio has a spreading habit, thick, dark green culms (stems) with large, attractive, chestnut-brown sheaths (reduced leaves) at intervals up...

04 / 05 / 2020 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Kleinia venteri

Kleinia venteri
Common names: Venter’s kleinia (Eng.); uitlopertjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

An unusual, cryptic, stoloniferous succulent up to 70 mm high, with flat, oblong, rolled back, succulent leaves and inconspicuous flowers in winter. This...

27 / 04 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Stadmania oppositifolia subsp. rhodesica

Stadmania oppositifolia supsp. rhodesica
Common names: silky-plum (Eng.); sypruim (Afr.)
Family: Sapindaceae

An awesome small tree with the most attractive flowers and fruits....

27 / 04 / 2020 | Sephatle Evans Molekoa | Lowveld NBG
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Leucospermum harpagonatum

Leucospermum harpagonatum
Common names: McGregor pincushion
Family: Proteaceae

An unusual creeping, mat-forming pincushion, with reddish, trailing stems and pinkish red flower heads in spring, that makes a pleasant groundcover for...

20 / 04 / 2020 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Cephalaria zeyheriana

Cephalaria zeyheriana
Common names: mock scabious
Family: Dipsacaceae

A well-adapted grassland perennial with elongated inflorescence stalks, white or creamy white flower heads, with protruding stamens. Known from the northern...

20 / 04 / 2020 | Mulweli Maswoliedza | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Podocarpus falcatus

Common names: Outeniqua yellowwood (English), Outeniekwageelhout (Afrikaans) mogôbagôba (Northern Sotho), umsonti (Zulu).
Family: Podocarpaceae

See Afrocarpus falcatus....

14 / 04 / 2020 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Petalidium oblongifolium

Petalidium oblongifolium
Common names: blue petalidium, blue petal-bush (Eng.); bloubos, blou-tongklapper (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A beautiful small shrub with silvery leaves and attractive blue flowers in summer; a hardy, water-wise plant for sun or semi-shade....

13 / 04 / 2020 | Samuel Lekhetho | Free State NBG
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Ficus salicifolia

Ficus salicifolia
Common names: Wonderboom fig (Eng.); wonderboomvy (Afr.); isisantu (isiZulu); umkhiwane, indhlaleni (siSwati); motlhatsa (setswana); mohlatssa, mohlatsiso, monokane
Family: Moraceae

This hardy, spreading, evergreen tree produces fruit that will attract any fruit-loving birds to your garden. It is ideal for large properties and very...

13 / 04 / 2020 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Graderia scabra

Graderia scabra
Common names: wild penstemon, pink ground-bells (Eng.); uvelabahleke (Xho.), impundu, isimonyo, ugweja, umphuphutho (Zul.)
Family: Orobanchaceae

The attractive pink flowers of Graderia scabra easily catch the eye, especially after veld fires. They belong to a small, semi-herbaceous, partly parasitic...

06 / 04 / 2020 | Tumelo Mofokeng | Pretoria NBG
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Plectranthus hilliardiae

Plectranthus hilliardiae subsp. hilliardiae, flowers. (Photo Alice Notten)
Common names: Pondo spurflower (Eng.); pondospoorsalie (Afr.)
Family: Lamiaceae

One of the most attractive of the Plectranthus, with glossy, dark green leaves and purple-blue autumn flowers, it is best suited to moist, subtropical...

06 / 04 / 2020 | Ayanda Komanisi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lachenalia lutzeyeri

Lachenalia lutzeyeri in habitat. (Photo Vera Frith)
Common names: Lutzeyer’s lachenalia
Family: Hyacinthaceae

...

30 / 03 / 2020 | Joti Daya | CREW
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Ammocharis baumii

Ammocharis baumii as a container subject. (Photo Graham Duncan)
Common names: Baum’s ammocharis
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Ammocharis baumii is a dwarf bulbous plant, with attractive, but fleeting, pink, sweetly-scented flowers, with an extremely long perianth tube. It is easily...

30 / 03 / 2020 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adromischus triflorus

Adromischus triflorus
Common names: duck's foot, calico heart (Eng.); bontplakkie, eendevoet (Afr.)

Family: Crassulaceae

The spotted leaves of Adromischus triflorus would give any miniature or water-wise landscape a bit of texture and contrast. This evergreen species is compact...

23 / 03 / 2020 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Curio repens

Curio repens
Common names: blue toes (Eng.); kransharpuis, bloutoontjies (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Curio repens is a low, cluster-forming to drooping, leaf and stem succulent perennial from sandstone cliffs and rocky parts of the Cape Peninsula to Hermanus....

23 / 03 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Adenia glauca

Adenia glauca
Common names: blue leaved elephant’s foot (Eng.); bobbebjaangif (Afr.)
Family: Passifloraceae

The oddly shaped, swollen stem and twining vines of Adenia glauca can be seen growing in the driest parts of southern Africa. Its soft greyish green, palmately-shaped...

16 / 03 / 2020 | Jermaine Christoffels | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Coccinia rehmannii

Coccinia rehmannii
Common names: wild cucumber (Eng.); wilde komkommer (Afr.); kgaba, kubjana, mogakangwaga, oro, otjinaga, mmadigônyane (Tsw.); uselwa-lwenyoka (Zul.)
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Coccinia rehmannii is a perennial creeper or climber arising from a large tuberous rootstock, with conspicuous, many-seeded, globose fruits....

16 / 03 / 2020 | Khululwa Mfondini | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos ghellinckii

Encephalartos ghellinckii
Common names: Drakensberg cycad (Eng.); drakensbergbroodboom (Afr.); isidawu (Zul.); umguza (Xho.)
Family: Zamiaceae

The Drakensberg cycad should be not be confused with any other species because of its very narrow and exceptionally revolute leaflets, which are unique...

09 / 03 / 2020 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Cotula coronopifolia

Cotula coronopifolia
Common names: water buttons, button weeds, brass buttons (Eng.); gansgras, eendekos (Afr.).
Family: Asteraceae

Cotula coronopifolia is a cute yellow button daisy that is either annual or perennial, which occurs along edges of saline or freshwater pools, between...

09 / 03 / 2020 | Aarifah Jakoet | Compton Herbarium
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