Plants of the Week

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E.g., 03/12/2024
E.g., 03/12/2024

Aloe rupestris

Aloe rupestris
Common names: bottlebrush aloe, rock aloe (Eng); borselaalwyn, kraalaalwyn (Afr.); inhlaba (Siswati); uphondonde (isiXhosa); inkalane, uphondonde, umhlabanhazi (isi
Family: Asphodelaceae

A handsome aloe with tightly packed yellow flowers that mature to an alluring scarlet or deep orange, forming beautiful, breathtaking, bottlebrush inflorescences...

20 / 01 / 2020 | Jermaine Christoffels | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Syncarpha ferruginea

Syncarpha ferruginea
Common names: rusty everlasting (Eng.); verroes-sewejaartjie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Syncarpha ferruginea is a small fynbos shrub with felted grey leaves and attractive yellow-brown, everlasting flower heads in spring and summer....

20 / 01 / 2020 | Zaynab Shaik | Compton Herbarium
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Bergeranthus scapiger

Bergeranthus scapiger
Common names: polvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A dwarf, clump-forming, water-wise succulent, with smooth, glossy leaves and branched clusters of golden-yellow flowers in winter and spring. It is grown...

13 / 01 / 2020 | Sihle Nqentsu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Oxalis hirta

Oxalis hirta
Common names: hairy oxalis (Eng.); suring (Afr.)
Family: Oxalidaceae

A vigorous, easy-to-grow, ornamental Oxalis with branched stems and attractive magenta-pink flowers in winter and spring....

13 / 01 / 2020 | Azwinndini Mudau | Free State NBG
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Aloe spicata

Aloe spicata
Common names: Lebombo aloe, bottle-brush aloe, Gazaland aloe (Eng.); lebombo-aalwyn (Afr.); inhlaba (isiZulu), tshikhopa (Tshivenda)
Family: Asphodelaceae

A most rewarding plant to cultivate, as they can tolerate long periods of drought, but still thrive and flower beautifully. Their striking beauty and often...

06 / 01 / 2020 | Thato Moeketsane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Geissorhiza tulbaghensis

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Common names: Tulbagh satin flower (Eng.); sysie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis has one of the most beautiful, and largest flowers in its genus. It does well as a pot plant and is one of the most easily cultivated...

06 / 01 / 2020 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Curio talinoides

Curio talinoides
Common names: blue straws (Eng.); dassieharpuis (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A conspicuous, spreading, succulent shrub with striking, bluish grey-green, elongated, rounded, succulent leaves, with a resinous smell when damaged. The...

30 / 12 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Manulea tomentosa

Manulea tomentosa
Common names: woolly manulea (Eng.); duine vingertjies (Afr.)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

This is a perennial herb that can blossom in the seedling stage. It has grey, woolly, fleshy leaves, conspicuous finger-like heads of brownish yellow or...

30 / 12 / 2019 | Wanga Ncise | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Protea namaquana

Protea namaquana
Common names: Kamiesberg sugarbush
Family: Proteaceae

A very localized, rare shrub, distinct in its environment, with flowerheads that have a strong yeasty odour. Protea namaquana is one of the two Proteaceae...

23 / 12 / 2019 | Hlengiwe Mtshali | CREW
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Dalbergia melanoxylon

Dalbergia melanoxylon
Common names: zebra wood, African blackwood, African ebony (Eng.), sebrahout, swartdriedoring, driedoringebbehout (Afr.), isparati, mpingo (Swati), mogôrôgôrô (
Family: Fabaceae

A beautiful, small, spiny tree, with fragrant, white, pea-like flowers in dense clusters in early summer; it also produces attractive purple-black heartwood...

23 / 12 / 2019 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Ceropegia sandersonii

Ceropegia sandersonii
Common names: giant ceropegia, Sanderson’s ceropegia, Sanderson’s canopy flower, parachute flower, trumpet flower, fountain flower (Eng.); sambreelblom (Afr.)
Family: Apocynaceae

Members of the genus Ceropegia are characterized by tubular flowers, specially adapted for the temporary capture of insects for pollination purposes. The...

16 / 12 / 2019 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Hypodiscus aristatus

Hypodiscus aristatus
Common names: bristly pineapple reed, hedgehogs, needle reed (Eng.); naaldriet (Afr.)
Family: Restionaceae

This beautiful tuft-forming restio, with its spikey inflorescences, is seen growing on the mountain slopes in Betty’s Bay and would make an excellent...

16 / 12 / 2019 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Talinum caffrum

Talinum caffrum
Common names: porcupine root (Eng.); osbossie, ystervarkwortel, ystervarkkos, wildevygie (Afr.); mphunyaka, kgalahete, punyuka bamphethe (Tsw.); impunyu, inkucula
Family: Talinaceae

A drought resistant, deciduous perennial with a large tuberous caudex, edible succulent leaves and short-lived yellow flowers in summer....

09 / 12 / 2019 | Lufuno Nenungwi | Free State NBG
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Grewia flava

Grewia flava
Common names: velvet raisin, wild currant, brandybush (Eng.); rosyntjiebos, brandewynbos, wilderosyntjie (Afr.); mothetlwa (Nso.); umlalampunzi, unhlwampunzi (Zul.)
Family: Malvaceae

A hardy shrub or small tree up to ± 4 m high, it gives an impressive show of yellow, star-shaped flowers in summer. This tree is ideal to attract...

09 / 12 / 2019 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dicliptera magaliesbergensis

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis
Common names: none
Family: Acanthaceae

Dicliptera magaliesbergensis is one of 20 South African species of Dicliptera, and one of the 3 threatened species. It is found only in Gauteng and nowhere...

02 / 12 / 2019 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii

Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii
Common names: string of hearts, necklace vine, rosary vine, Wood’s ceropegia, hanging milkwort, Jacob’s beard, little pitchers, chain of hearts, collar of heart
Family: Apocynaceae

This dainty little Ceropegia, sometimes also known as Ceropegia woodii, is globally probably one of the most widely cultivated of all the species of this...

02 / 12 / 2019 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Thesium viridifolium

Thesium viridifolium
Common names: green root-thug
Family: Santalaceae

A much-branched, densely leafy shrub bearing attractive, small, white flowers that are crowded in dense rounded heads at the tips of the branches....

25 / 11 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Melasphaerula graminea

Melasphaerula graminea
Common names: fairy bells (Eng.); baardmannetjie, bokbaardjie, feeklokkie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

This attractive, winter-growing, bulbous plant, with its lax sprays of half-nodding, long lasting, grass-like flowers, is ideal for hanging baskets....

25 / 11 / 2019 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Kalanchoe thyrsiflora

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
Common names: white lady, bird’s brandy (Eng.); geelplakkie, meelplakkie, plakkie, voëlbrandewyn (Afr.); serilile (Southern Sotho); utshwala benyoni (Zulu); utyw
Family: Crassulaceae

A striking addition to a succulent rockery or grassland garden, this plant stands tall with its striking white leaves and yellow flowers, at a time of...

18 / 11 / 2019 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Olea exasperata

Olea exasperata
Common names: dune olive, coast olive (Eng.); duineolien, glashoutolien, slanghout, vlashoutolien, basterolienhout (Afr.)
Family: Oleaceae

Olea exasperata, one of the wild olive trees of South Africa, is an ornamental shrub or small tree that generally occurs in coastal scrub, on sand dunes...

18 / 11 / 2019 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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