Plants of the Week

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E.g., 24/11/2024
E.g., 24/11/2024

Disa nivea

Disa nivea
Common names: snow disa
Family: Orchidaceae

Its common name may suggest the pure white colour of the flowers, the red spots, however, carries the mystery for its survival, where it occurs in the...

10 / 06 / 2019 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Disa tripetaloides

Disa tripetaloides
Family: Orchidaceae

Disa tripetaloides is a terrestrial evergreen orchid with beautiful white flowers. It grows along perennial mountain streams and on damp mountain slopes...

03 / 12 / 2007 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Disa uniflora

Disa uniflora
Common names: pride of Table Mountain, red disa (Eng.), rooidisa (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

This famous red orchid, emblem of the Western Cape, is strictly protected....

12 / 02 / 2001 | Norma Jodamus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Disparago anomala

Flowering in the fynbos
Family: Asteraceae

Disparago plants are very common in the fynbos vegetation but they are often not noticed until they flower. Even then, they are not large and showy but...

19 / 03 / 2007 | Marinda Koekemoer | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Disperis woodii

Disperis woodii in flower
Common names: horned kappie, Wood’s disperis (Eng.); horingmoederkappie (Afr.)
Family: Orchidaceae

Disperis woodii is a tiny terrestrial orchid, with a cluster of leaves at the base and just one stem that produces a single flower with a long pointed...

04 / 12 / 2023 | Monde Zulu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Dissotis canescens

Dissotis canescens
Common names: pink wild tibouchina, pink marsh dissotis, ordeal bean (Eng); kalverbossie (Afr); imfeyesele (Zulu)
Family: Melastomataceae

This pretty shrub looks remarkably like a dwarf version of the related South American tibouchina trees (Tibouchina spp.) which are grown in the more...

02 / 04 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dissotis princeps

Dissotis princeps
Common names: purple dissotis, royal dissotis, wild tibouchina, purple wild tibouchina (Eng.); kalwerbossie (Afr.); sichobochobo, umpongamponga (Swazi)
Family: Melastomataceae

Dissotis princeps is an outstanding garden plant with magnificent flowers and decorative foliage. It is easy to grow, and is ideal for the water or vlei...

20 / 02 / 2006 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia

Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia
Common names: sand olive (Eng.); sandolien, ysterbos (Afr.); mutata-vhana (Venda); mutepipuma (Shona)
Family: Sapindaceae

This well known, drought and wind resistant, indigenous plant can grow into a shrub as it is usually multi-stemmed, or a small tree when the lower branches...

27 / 02 / 2012 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Dombeya autumnalis

Dombeya autumnalis
Common names: autumn dombeya, autumn wild pear (English); rotsdrolpeer (Afrikaans)
Family: Malvaceae

This is another attractive shrub for the garden....

28 / 05 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dombeya burgessiae

Dombeya burgessiae
Common names: pink wild pear, pink dombeya, persdrolpeer (Afrikaans), ibunda (Zulu)
Family: Malvaceae

The pink wild pear is a garden favourite used by many gardeners and landscapers for its profusion of pink to white flowers borne in dense clusters which...

07 / 05 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dombeya cymosa

Flowers of Dombeya cymosa. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: small-flowered dombeya, smooth wild pear, Natal dombeya, Natal wild pear, hairless dombeya (Eng.); gladdeblompeer, Nataldrolpeer, gladdedrolpeer (Afr.
Family: Malvaceae

Dombeya cymosa is an ornamental, deciduous, small tree that bears showy, drooping, white, sweet-scented flowers....

27 / 04 / 2015 | Nonkululo Phephu | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Dombeya kirkii

Dombeya kirkii
Common names: river wild pear, river dombeya (Eng.); rivierdrolpeer (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

A fast growing and beautiful, ornamental wild pear with masses of white flowers in late summer and winter....

02 / 03 / 2020 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dombeya pulchra

Dombeya pulchra
Common names: silver white pear (Eng.); blombos (Afr.)
Family: Malvaceae

The silver white pear is a beautiful shrub or small tree ideal for the wooded or semi-shaded areas of your garden....

15 / 08 / 2005 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG
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Dombeya rotundifolia

Blossom of Dombeya rotundifolia
Common names: wild pear (English); drolpeer (Afrikaans); iNhliziyonkhulu (Zulu); mohlabaphala (N. Sotho); motubane (Tswana); nsihaphukuma (Tsonga)
Family: Malvaceae

This lovely tree gets its English common name, wild pear, from the masses of white blooms which appear before the leaves in early spring. It bears a resemblance...

17 / 09 / 2001 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dombeya tiliacea

Dombeya tiliacea
Common names: forest wild pear, forest dombeya, little-dog-rose (Eng.); bosblompeer, bosdrolpeer (Afr.), ibunda (isiZulu), utyibo (isiXhosa)
Family: Malvaceae

A pretty shrub or small tree, with white flowers in late summer to autumn, suitable for sun or semi-shade....

06 / 08 / 2018 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dorotheanthus bellidiformis

Common names: Buckbay-vygie, Livingstone Bokbayfig, Livingstone Daisy (Eng.); bokbaaivygie, sandvygie, skilpadkos, ysplant (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

 See Cleretum bellidiforme ...

29 / 07 / 2002 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Dovyalis caffra

Dovyalis caffra. Photo Geoff Nichols
Common names: Kei-apple (Eng.); Kei-appel (Afr.); motlhono (North Sotho); umqokolo (Zulu); amaqokolo (Ndebele); mukokolo (Shona)
Family: Salicaceae

Dovyalis caffra is a lovely evergreen fruit tree or shrub. It is one of the three Dovyalis species, together with D. zeyheri (wild...

12 / 05 / 2003 | Avhurengwi Phillemon Ndou | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dovyalis longispina

Dovyalis longispina
Common names: Coast Kei-apple (Eng), Kuskei-appel, Natalappelkoos (Afr.), umNyusa (isiZulu), imQokolo (isiXhoza)
Family: Salicaceae

‘The Dovyalis with the long spines’, that is how one can make sense of its botanical name. With its bright orange-red, edible fruits and very...

21 / 06 / 2021 | Mpho Mathalauga | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Dovyalis rhamnoides

Dovyalis rhamnoides showing spines and male flowers
Common names: common sourberry (Eng.); gewone suurbessie (Afr.); ukhamgwindi (Zulu); umqaqoba (Xhosa)
Family: Salicaceae

This is a spiny, evergreen shrub or tree bearing edible fruit. It is easily cultivated and attracts birds to the garden....

08 / 10 / 2012 | C Mudau | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Dovyalis zeyheri

Cythna Letty illustration in Flowering Plants of Africa.
Common names: wild apricot (E), wilde-appelkoos (A), umNyazuma (Z), umQokokolo (X), morethema (NS)
Family: Salicaceae

This is a tree with a most unusual and apparently unexplained feature. At certain times of the year the leaves emit a smell resembling that of carrion....

22 / 04 / 2002 | Alice Aubrey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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