Plants of the Week

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E.g., 14/11/2024
E.g., 14/11/2024

Liparia parva

Liparia parva
Common names: small mountain dahlia, yellow nodding-head (Eng.); kleinbergdahlia, kleingeelkoppie (Afr.)
Family: Fabaceae

This elusive shrublet is a localized species with a restricted natural habitat. Not too many people have seen this dainty plant, which makes it extremely...

26 / 06 / 2017 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria coriacea

Ledebouria coriacea, each plant produces several long inflorescences.
Common names: leather-leaved African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A rare Ledebouria, restricted to a small area around Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This relatively unknown species has attractively...

10 / 07 / 2017 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ledebouria papillata

Ledebouria papillata
Common names: Limpopo African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A miniature bulbous plant, which occurs mostly in Limpopo Province, South Africa. This dwarf species is often difficult to find because of its small size...

08 / 08 / 2017 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ledebouria glauca

Ledebouria glauca
Common names: blue African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A rare and relatively unknown species of African hyacinth from the hot and semi-arid regions of South Africa. This unusual species is very distinctive...

23 / 08 / 2017 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Lasiosiphon rigidus

Lasiosiphon rigidus (John Manning)
Common names: none recorded
Family: Thymelaeaceae

A small-leaved shrublet with fragrant, bright chrome-yellow flowers surrounded by vivid yellow bracts, flushed with dark red....

23 / 10 / 2017 | Refilwe Kolokoto | Compton Herbarium
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Ledebouria confusa

Ledebouria confusa, a handsome and attractive plant for full sun.
Common names: grey-leaved African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A medium sized bulbous plant, which occurs across the Highveld areas of the North West, Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa. This...

30 / 10 / 2017 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Lycium ferocissimum

Lycium ferocissimum
Common names: Cape box thorn, honey thorn, snake-berry, African box thorn (Eng.); slangbessie, karriedoring, bokdoring (Afr.); ubovu (Xho.)
Family: Solanaceae

A spiny, evergreen shrub with attractive red berries, that are borne sporadically throughout the year and make it a perfect plant to attract birds to the...

27 / 11 / 2017 | Sisanda Alakhe Velembo-Mhlauli | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lannea schweinfurthii var. stuhlmannii

Lannea schweinfurthii var. stuhlmannii (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: false-marula (Eng.); valsmaroela (Afr.); mmopu (NSo.); umganunkomo (Zul.)
Family: Anacardiaceae

This small to medium-sized, deciduous tree, with its small, creamy white to yellow flowers and aromatic leaves, will not only attract birds to your garden,...

18 / 12 / 2017 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria sandersonii

Ledebouria sandersonii
Common names: fairy African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

An attractive dwarf species with brightly coloured flowers, which makes an attractive pot plant or addition to a grassland garden. This widespread Ledebouria...

12 / 02 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Leucospermum gueinzii

Leucospermum gueinzii
Common names: kloof fountain-pincushion, kloof pincushion (Eng.); luisiesbos (Afr.)
Family: Proteaceae

An attractive shrub with bright green leaves tipped with red teeth, covered with yellow and orange flowers that change to crimson when mature....

26 / 02 / 2018 | Mashudu Nndanduleni | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ledebouria cremnophila

Ledebouria cremnophila growing in habitat. (Mervyn Lӧtter)
Common names: krantz African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A rare species restricted to the mountainous areas of the Barberton region in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, where it prefers to grow on steep...

02 / 04 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Lobelia pubescens

Lobelia pubescens
Common names: rock lobelia
Family: Lobeliaceae

This low-growing, bushy perennial, occurring near the coast, flowers from late spring to autumn. It will make a showy container plant, a lovely addition...

16 / 04 / 2018 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Lampranthus tegens

Lampranthus tegens
Common names: mat-lampranthus (Eng.); matvygie (Afr.)
Family: Aizoaceae

A flat-growing, mat-forming, leaf succulent, often rooting at the nodes, and an easy-to-grow, drought tolerant plant for fynbos gardens, especially on...

18 / 06 / 2018 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Lydenburgia abbottii

Lydenburgia abbottii
Common names: Pondo Bushman’s Tea (Eng.); pondoboesmanstee (Afr.)
Family: Celastraceae

Pondo Bushman’s Tea is a tall tree, and one of the rarest trees in South Africa, occurring in ravine forest in just two river gorges....

25 / 06 / 2018 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Lachnospermum imbricatum

Lachnospermum imbricatum
Common names: purple-centre everlasting (Eng.); blombossie (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

A beautiful shrub with pink or purple-centred, daisy-like flowers surrounded by a ring of white, papery bracts. Occurring in the extreme southwestern Cape,...

02 / 07 / 2018 | Karen Wall | Harold Porter NBG
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Ledebouria cooperi

Ledebouria cooperi
Common names: Cooper’s African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A widespread and common species usually associated with water or moist vegetation types, Cooper’s African Hyacinth is an attractive, small bulbous...

09 / 07 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ledebouria viscosa

Ledebouria viscosa (Connal Oosterbroek)
Common names: sticky-leaf African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

This curious and enigmatic species of Ledebouria is highly unusual in the genus because of its viscous leaves which become sticky when wet, causing sand...

20 / 08 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ledebouria apertiflora

Ledebouria apertiflora
Common names: desert African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A medium-sized bulbous plant normally associated with arid areas. This species is widely distributed over a vast area of South Africa, most common in the...

22 / 10 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Ledebouria galpinii

Ledebouria galpinii
Common names: Kaapsche-Hoop African hyacinth
Family: Hyacinthaceae

A very attractive, dwarf, bulbous Ledebouria species, with dark purplish green, glossy leaves, which are pitted on the upper surface. This species is popular...

26 / 11 / 2018 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG
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Limonium capense

Limonium capense
Common names: Saldanha sea-pink (Eng.); saldanha strandroos (Afr.)
Family: Plumbaginaceae

A poorly known, drought-tolerant shrublet for coastal gardens, producing masses of pink papery flowers in early summer....

17 / 12 / 2018 | John Manning | Kirstenbosch NBG
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