Plants of the Week

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

Conicosia pugioniformis subsp. pugioniformis

Conicosia pugioniformis subsp. pugioniformis
Common names: giant clockplant, pigroot, pig salad, narrow-leaved ice plant (Eng.); groot vetkousie, varkslaai, gansies, varkwortel, snotwortel (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A striking, yellow flowering, die-hard, succulent groundcover, suited to sandy and coastal gardens, rockeries or pots....

02 / 09 / 2019 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Eucomis regia

Eucomis regia
Common names: western dwarf pineapple flower
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This is the only winter rainfall Eucomis and its flowering pattern is precisely opposite to all the other pineapple lilies. It is also one of the few species...

26 / 08 / 2019 | Dineo Dibakwane | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Acmadenia kiwanensis

Acmadenia kiwanensis
Common names: Kiwane porcelain flower
Family: Rutaceae

...

26 / 08 / 2019 | Sibahle Gumede | Kwelera NBG
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Astroloba rubriflora

Astroloba rubriflora
Common names: red-flowered astroloba
Family: Asphodelaceae

Astroloba rubriflora is the only plant in its genus that has red flowers. The tubular flowers face upwards, and are adapted to attract sunbirds for pollination,...

19 / 08 / 2019 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Ledebouria floribunda

Ledebouria floribunda
Common names: spotted African hyacinth (Eng.); isikholokotho (Zul.)
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A large and usually attractively spotted Ledebouria species; this species is one of the largest species in the entire genus....

19 / 08 / 2019 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Barleria macrostegia

Barleria macrostegia
Common names: tongklapper (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A groundcover with a strange flower cluster....

12 / 08 / 2019 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG
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Kleinia longiflora

Kleinia longiflora (Tony Rebelo)
Common names: paintbrush flower (Eng.); sjambokbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Kleinia longiflora is an unusual, succulent shrub, with striking, thin, pencil-shaped, segmented, upright or sprawling stems, that is drought resistant...

12 / 08 / 2019 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Lantana rugosa

Lantana rugosa
Common names: bird’s beer, bird’s brandy (Eng.); voëlbrandewyn, wildesalie (Afr.); sekwebetane (isiNdebele); utyani-bentaka, utywala bentaka (isiXhosa); impema
Family: Verbenaceae

From a distance, if it looks like the famous fever-tea or lemon bush plant (Lippia javanica), it is most likely Lantana rugosa. Sadly, sharing the common...

05 / 08 / 2019 | Lesiba Papo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Marasmodes trifida

Marasmodes trifida
Common names: trifid autumn-aster
Family: Asteraceae

This little known and not so beautiful plant is highly threatened; it is easily identifiable from other members of the genus by its leaves that split into...

05 / 08 / 2019 | Naomi Mdayi | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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Schizaea pectinata

Schizaea pectinata
Common names: curly grass-fern; cockscomb fern, toothbrush fern (Eng.); grasvaring (Afr.)
Family: Schizaeaceae

Is it a restio? Is it a sedge? No! It is Schizaea pectinata. When walking in the fynbos of the Western Cape of South Africa, one is likely to come across...

29 / 07 / 2019 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Prenia vanrensburgii

Prenia vanrensburgii
Common names: Cape spinach, sea pumpkin (Eng.); seepampoen, strandspinasie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A fast-growing, short-lived perennial succulent, endemic to the sunny, windy, littoral seafront or shoreline zone in the coastal parts of the eastern part...

29 / 07 / 2019 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Papaver aculeatum

Papaver aculeatum flower. Photo SAplants
Common names: bristle poppy, orange poppy (Eng.); doringpapawer, koringpapawer, wildepapawer (Afr.); sehlohlo (South Sotho)
Family: Papaveraceae

Papaver aculeatum is an attractive, orange- or pinkish-orange-flowered annual, and the only poppy endemic to the southern hemisphere. It makes an attractive...

22 / 07 / 2019 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Agathosma orbicularis

Agathosma orbicularis
Common names: Caledon buchu (Eng.); Caledon-boegoe (Afr.)
Family: Rutaceae

A vigorous, low-growing, lilac-flowering buchu, teetering on the brink of extinction....

22 / 07 / 2019 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
Common names: common ice plant, crystalline ice plant, rosa de jericho (Eng.); brakslaai, brakvy, noeta, olifantslaai, slaai, slaaibos, slaaibossie, soutslaai, vols
Family: Aizoaceae

This is an extremely stress-tolerant, prostrate, succulent annual with distinctive, glistening bladder cells on its leaves and stems, that look like ice...

15 / 07 / 2019 | Sinikeziwe Ncaphayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos msinganus

Encephalartos msinganus
Common names: Msinga cycad (Eng.); msinga-broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

A medium-sized, glossy green cycad, that occurs in the Msinga area in KwaZulu-Natal; it grows in short grassland on steep north-facing slopes, often suckering...

15 / 07 / 2019 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Justicia aconitiflora

Justicia aconitiflora, flowers. (Alice Notten)
Common names: yellow pistolbush, lemon pistolbush (Eng.); geelpistoolbos, lemoenpistoolbos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A beautiful shrub with fresh green foliage and showy pale yellow flowers in autumn, suitable for sun, semi-shade or shade. This species was for many years...

09 / 07 / 2019 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Justicia adhatodoides

Justicia adhatodoides
Common names: pistol bush (Eng.); pistoolbos (Afr.); ihlwalane, isepheka, ihlwehlwe (Xhosa); uthabe, lothabe (Zulu)
Family: Acanthaceae

A fast-growing, late summer-flowering shrub for semi-shade or sun, with showy and fragrant white flowers that show up well against its glossy dark green...

09 / 07 / 2019 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Phygelius capensis

Phygelius capensis, flowers. (Photo Geoff Nichols)
Common names: southern river bell, wild fuchsia, Cape fuchsia (Eng.); rivierklokkie, foksia (Afr.); metsi-matsho (Sesotho)
Family: Scrophulariaceae

Phygelius capensis is a hardy, evergreen semi-shrub that bears wonderful bright red or orange, drooping, tubular flowers throughout summer. ...

08 / 07 / 2019 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG
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Ziziphus rivularis

Ziziphus rivularis (Photo Geoff NIchols)
Common names: false buffalo-thorn, river buffalo thorn, river jujube (Eng.); rivierblinkblaar, vals-wag-’n-bietjie (Afr.); mukhalu-vhufa, mulalantsa (Tshivenda)
Family: Rhamnaceae

Ziziphus rivularis is drought-resistant and has attractive, glossy, olive-green foliage with variable venation, as well as an attractive grey stem. This...

08 / 07 / 2019 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lannea edulis var. edulis

Lannea edulis var. edulis
Common names: grape lannea, wild grape (Eng.); wildedruif (Afr.); umgabunkhomo (isiZulu); mutsambatsi (siSwati); phepo (Setswana).
Family: Anacardiaceae

A dwarf shrub, with stubby stems arising from a woody rootstock; it bears large leaves compared to the size of the plant. The fruits are edible, with a...

01 / 07 / 2019 | Fergy Nkadimeng | Millennium Seed Bank Partnership
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