Plants of the Week

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

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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Gladiolus monticola

Gladiolus monticola
Common names: mountain painted lady, autumn painted lady (Eng.); bergpypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

When you find yourself walking on the top of Table Mountain in February or March, you might be fortunate to lay eyes on this rare beauty with its delicately...

01 / 06 / 2020 | Ismail Ebrahim | CREW
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Gladiolus stefaniae

Gladiolus stefaniae
Common names: Montagu gladiolus (Eng.); Montagu kliplelie (Afr.) (meaning rock lily)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus stefaniae is a cormous, autumn-flowering plant, with exquisite, large, scarlet or carmine blooms. Although rare in the wild, its cultivation...

01 / 06 / 2020 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria camillae

Gasteria camillae
Common names: camilla gasteria (Eng.); camilla-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria camillae is a slow-growing, dwarf succulent with light grey-green, spreading to recurved leaves in rosettes, proliferating from the base and eventually...

15 / 06 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria visseri

Gasteria visseri
Common names: Visser’s ox-tongue (Eng.); Visser-beestong (Afr.).
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria visseri is a compact, slow-growing succulent, with dark green, spreading to recurved leaves in a tight rosette, proliferating from the base and...

29 / 06 / 2020 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gymnosporia senegalensis

Gymnosporia senegalensis
Common names: red spikethorn, confetti spikethorn (Eng.); bloupendoring, rooipendoring (Afr.); sephatho, mophatho (Sepedi); sihlangu lesimhlophe (siSwati); ubuhlang
Family: Celastraceae

A bright, white-flowered, sweet-scented indigenous shrub, often with wine-red branches. Its roots and leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat...

25 / 01 / 2021 | M.S. Mothogoane | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gladiolus venustus

Gladiolus venustus
Common names: bright bonnet, purple kalkoentjie (Eng.); kalkoentjie, perskalkoentjie, haasblom, perdelelie, bontpatryspypie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus venustus is a showy species, with fragrant, purple or pink and yellow flowers in spring, best suited for the arid regions of the winter-rainfall...

01 / 02 / 2021 | Shireen Harris | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gladiolus papilio

Gladiolus papilio
Common names: butterfly gladiolus, goldblotch gladiolus (Eng.); ibutha, igulusha (Zul.).
Family: Iridaceae

When exploring the wetlands of the eastern regions of South Africa, these pinkish mauve, nodding flowers are sure to capture your attention....

15 / 03 / 2021 | Simone Chetty | CREW
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Gerrardanthus tomentosus

Gerrardanthus tomentosus
Common names: hairy gerrardanthus
Family: Cucurbitaceae

An uncommon tendril climber, with dark green, triangularly lobed leaves and a large succulent caudex, that grows among boulders and stones, in moist, shaded...

26 / 04 / 2021 | Buyisiwe Dlwati | CREW
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Grewia caffra

Grewia caffra
Common names: climbing raisin, yellow starflower (Eng.); rankrosyntjie (Afr); ilalanyathi, umunyumunu, iphata, iklolo, isaka, isilandula (isiZulu); likholo, (siSwat
Family: Malvaceae

A multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with a climbing habit, often seen sprawling into nearby plants for support. It bears striking, yellow, star-like flowers...

04 / 10 / 2021 | Robert Jooste | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria langebergensis

Gasteria langebergensis
Common names: Langeberg ox-tongue (Eng.); Langeberg-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria langbergensis is a cluster-forming, leaf succulent with oblong, flattened, slightly wrinkled leaves in two opposite rows (distichous) and bearing...

15 / 11 / 2021 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gladiolus floribundus

Gladiolus floribundus
Common names: common swordlily
Family: Iridaceae

A winter-growing gladiolus with showy spikes of striped, white or pale pink flowers in spring; well suited to winter-rainfall gardens and suitable for...

10 / 01 / 2022 | Mizpah Hoffman | TSP
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Gnidia kraussiana

See Lasiosiphon kraussianus...

26 / 01 / 2022 | | TSP
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Gnidia pinifolia

Gnidia pinifolia
Common names: pine-leaved saffron-bush, needle capesaffron (Eng.), aandbossie, juffertjie-roer-by-die-nag (Afr.).
Family: Thymelaeaceae

Gnidia pinifolia has showy, conspicuous, white blooms, all-year round, that will infuse your garden with a night scent....

07 / 02 / 2022 | Nomfusi Ntsobi | CREW
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Gladiolus permeabilis

Gladiolus permeabilis
Common names: partridge pypie, small afrikander (Eng.); patrysuintjie, kleinafrikaner, koningaandblom, lituin (Afr.); khahla-e-nyenyane (Sesotho); sidvwana (siSwati
Family: Iridaceae

A hardy bulbous plant with dainty and intensely sweet-smelling flowers, perfectly paired with short grasses.Fig. 1. Flowers of Gladiolus permeabilis var....

28 / 02 / 2022 | Natasha Lombard | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gladiolus serpenticola

Gladiolus serpenticola
Common names: serpentine sword lily, serpentine gladiolus
Family: Iridaceae

A striking, attractive, summer-flowering plant, with spectacular, giant flower spikes of 18 to 30, small, pale pink flowers with pale mauve markings on...

08 / 08 / 2022 | Winfred Velephi Ngwenya | Lowveld NBG
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Gethyllis villosa

Gethyllis villosa flower. Photo Lennart N.
Common names: hairy kukumakranka (Eng.); kukumakranka, koekemakranka, kroekemakrank (Afr.)
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Gethyllis villosa is one of the most intriguing members of the Amaryllidaceae family in southern Africa, due to its peculiar hairy, spiral foliage, fleeting...

10 / 10 / 2022 | Asiphe Mtsuma | Karoo Desert NBG
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Gonialoe genus

Gonialoe variegata. Photo J.C. Kruger
Common names: partridge aloes, partridge-breasted aloes, tiger aloes, variegated aloes (Eng.); bontaalwyne, bontbees, kanniedood aalwyne (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

The uniquely mottled and folded, three-ranked leaves of these miniature variegated aloes make them very popular for container gardening or as a point of...

17 / 10 / 2022 | Ronell R. Klopper | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Galtonia regalis

Common names: Royal Berg Lily
Family: Hyacinthaceae

Galtonia regalis is now called Ornithogalum regale...

05 / 12 / 2022 | | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gethyllis afra

Gethyllis afra as a container subject
Common names: kukumakranka, many-leaved Cape crocus (Eng.); bramakranka, koekoemakranka (Afr.).
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Noted for its curious tuft of spirally twisted leaves, sweet-scented blooms and aromatic berries, this Western Cape bulb has for centuries been cherished...

10 / 07 / 2023 | Graham Duncan | Kirstenbosch NBG
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