Plants of the Week

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Encephalartos lebomboensis

Encephalartos lebomboensis: Phot: N Grobbelaar
Common names: Lebombo cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

This cycad is said to be one of the most popular cycads in cultivation, although there is some confusion about its identity. Several populations of what...

14 / 04 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Encephalartos lehmannii

Encephalartos lehmannii : Photo:Nat Grobbelaar
Common names: Karoo cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

This cycad has been described as the hardiest, most drought resistant of the South African species. In the past, many specimens of this cycad were removed...

21 / 04 / 2003 | Lou-nita LeRoux | Lowveld NBG
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Encephalartos longifolius

Encephalartos longifolius growing in the wild.
Common names: Thunberg's cycad, Suurberg cycad (Eng.); Suurbergbroodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos longifolius and E. caffer were the first cycads to be scientifically recorded in South Africa as long ago as 1772. During...

19 / 06 / 2006 | D Bosenberg | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos middelburgensis

E.middelburgensis in habitat
Common names: Middelburg cycad (Eng.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos middelburgensis is a blue-leaved cycad covered with persistent powdery bloom. It thrives in full sunlight and is frost-hardy. It is...

22 / 07 / 2013 | K w Sepheka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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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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Encephalartos natalensis

Encephalartos natalensis: a "living fossil”
Common names: Natal cycad (Eng.); natalbroodboom (Afr.); isigqikisomkhovu, umhlungulo (Zulu); umguza, umphanga (Xhosa)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos natalensis, a "living fossil", is a quick-growing handsome giant tree cycad for your garden. This frost-hardy cycad prefers subtropical...

24 / 10 / 2011 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos ngoyanus

Encephalartos ngoyanus
Common names: Ngoye dwarf cycad (Eng.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos ngoyanus is a small cycad with a subterranean stem that is kept underground by contractile roots. This cycad rarely produces suckers, unless...

08 / 03 / 2021 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Encephalartos nubimontanus

Encephalartos nubimontanus
Common names: blue cycad, cloud mountain cycad (Eng.); bloubroodboom (Afr.), isigciki-somkhovu (isiZulu); gebeleweni (siSwati)
Family: Zamiaceae

A stunning, desirable, fast-growing cycad, with beautiful, twisted, grey-blue leaves; illegal collecting of wild plants, because it is in high demand as...

17 / 08 / 2020 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Encephalartos paucidentatus

Graceful cycad
Common names: Barberton cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

The graceful crown of dark green glossy leaves, vigorous growth and strong stem of Encephalartos paucidentatus makes this one of the most striking of...

03 / 07 / 2006 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos princeps

Encephalartos princeps
Common names: Kei cycad (Eng.); keibroodboom (Afr.); umguza, umphanga (Xho.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos princeps is a lovely blue-leaved cycad that responds well to full sun and tolerates any soil type, provided that the soil is well drained...

08 / 08 / 2011 | K w Sepheka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos senticosus

Encephalartos senticosus
Common names: Lebombo, jozini cycad (Eng.); lebombobroodboom (Afr.); isigqiki-somkhovu, ujubane (Zulu); sijekwane (S)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos senticosus is a quick-growing, glossy dark green giant cycad for your ornamental garden. ...

19 / 09 / 2011 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos transvenosus

Modjadji cycad
Common names: Modjadji cycad (Eng.); Modjadji broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

As a garden subject, Encephalartos transvenosus, with its glossy dark-green leaves, is one of the most spectacular and tallest of all cycad species. It...

14 / 03 / 2005 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos trispinosus

Encephalartos trispinosus
Common names: Bushman`s River cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos trispinosus is an excellent garden subject in hot, dry climates and areas which experience frost. The plants do not require a great deal...

15 / 05 / 2006 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos umbeluziensis

Cones
Common names: Umbeluzi cycad (Eng.); Umbeluzi broodboom (Afr.)

Encephalartos umbeluziensis is a small cycad with an unbranched, subterranean stem which rarely forms suckers. It is a frost-hardy species that grows best...

19 / 08 / 2013 | K w Sepheka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Encephalartos villosus

Cone forming
Common names: poor man's cycad
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos villosus is one of the most common ornamental dwarf cycads in southern Africa. It is shade-loving and produces leaves which spread out...

25 / 04 / 2005 | John Winter | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Encephalartos woodii

Encephalartos woodii at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Wood's Cycad (Eng.); Wood-se-broodboom (Afr.)
Family: Zamiaceae

Encephalartos woodii is famous for being extinct in nature, and for the fact that there is no known female specimen on Earth....

20 / 05 / 2002 | Alice Notten | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Englerophytum magalismontanum

Fruit. Photo: Geoff Nichols
Common names: Transvaal milkplum (Eng.); stamvrug (Afr.), motlhatswa (Tswana); mohlatswa (Northern Sotho); munombelo (Venda); amanumbela (Zulu); umnumbela (Swati) O
Family: Sapotaceae

This species is better known by its Afrikaans name, stamvrug and is one of South Africa's more popular veld fruits, a thirst quencher to...

24 / 02 / 2003 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG
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Englerophytum natalense

Fruits and leaves.Image Geoff Nichols
Common names: Natal or silverleaf milkplum (Eng.); Natalmelkpruim (Afr.); umThongwane (isiZulu, isiXhosa); ithunga, umThungwane (isiXhosa); umTjongane (isiSwati)
Family: Sapotaceae

An attractive garden plant, a tree with edible fruit and white-to-cream flowers....

04 / 02 / 2013 | F Nonyane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Ensete ventricosum

Ensete ventricosum with Strelitzia in foreground
Common names: wild banana, African wild banana (Eng.), wildepiesang (Afr.), motholo (Sepedi), mulala (Tshivenda)
Family: Musaceae

This relative of the edible banana is a valuable landscaping plant. Its form, texture and large leaves with conspicuous red midribs, create a lush, tropical...

14 / 10 / 2002 | Siyabulela Nonjinge | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Entada rheedii

Entada rheedii has fragrant flowers in spikes up to 230mm long (Photo Geoff Nichols)
Common names: giant sea bean, African dream herb, snuff box (Eng.); reuseseeboontjie, seeboontjie, boonbobbejaantou (Afr.); inkwindi, intindile, umbhone (isiZulu)
Family: Fabaceae

A perennial climbing vine that is used by African traditional healers to induce vivid dreams that enable them to communicate efficiently with their ancestors....

09 / 01 / 2017 | Lerato Hoveka | National Herbarium Pretoria
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