Plants of the Week

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E.g., 28/11/2024
E.g., 28/11/2024

Gasteria nitida

Gasteria nitida growing in natural habitat, east of Bathurst, E.Cape
Common names: Bathurst ox-tongue; Bathurst-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria nitida is a medium-sized, aloe-like succulent, endemic to the Eastern Cape, growing in grassland regions. It has showy, banded leaves, and grows...

15 / 12 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria pillansii

Gasteria pillansii inflorescence
Common names: Namaqua gasteria (Eng.); Namakwa-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria pillansii is the only true winter rainfall species of the genus. It is easily grown in containers in a shady spot, but has to be kept dry...

01 / 05 / 2006 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria polita

Flowers
Common names: polished gasteria, polished ox tongue
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria polita is a recently discovered species that is both attractive and easy to grow.   ...

20 / 01 / 2003 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria pulchra

Gasteria pulchra plant
Common names: none recorded
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria pulchra is a small to medium-sized aloe-like plant bearing narrow and pointed, ascending, dark-mottled green leaves and a loose panicle of...

26 / 03 / 2012 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria rawlinsonii

Gasteria rawlinsonii in flower, in cultivation
Common names: Baviaanskloof cliff gasteria (Eng.); kransbeestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria rawlinsonii is a shrubby, aloe-like, succulent cliff hanger found only in the Baviaanskloof of the Eastern Cape Province. It is the only...

23 / 11 / 2009 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria retusa

Gasteria retusa
Common names: Hex River ox-tongue (Eng.), Heksrivier beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria retusa is a cluster-forming leaf succulent of about 240 mm in diameter. The leaves are beautifully ornamented, wrinkled, with transverse bands...

20 / 11 / 2023 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria thunbergii

Inflorescence
Common names: Gouritz gasteria (Eng.); Gouritz-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria thunbergii is a dwarf aloe-like, opposite-leaved succulent, endemic to the Gouritz River south of the Langeberg Mountains of the Western...

10 / 02 / 2014 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gasteria tukhelensis

Close up of flowers,flowering at Kirstenbosch
Common names: Tugela ox-tongue (Eng.), Tugela-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria tukhelensis is one of the more or less 20 species so far known of the popular, aloe-like genus Gasteria which is endemic to southern...

28 / 05 / 2007 | 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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Gasteria vlokii

Gasteria vlokii habitat on Waboomsberg, Western Cape
Common names: Swartberg ox-tongue (Eng.); Swartberg-beestong (Afr.)
Family: Asphodelaceae

Gasteria vlokii is one of the more or less 23 known Gasteria species endemic to southern Africa. It is easily propagated from leaf cuttings...

08 / 03 / 2010 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gazania krebsiana

Gazania krebsiana
Common names: terracotta gazania (Eng.); gousblom, botterblom, rooi gazania (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

Gazania krebsiana, previously known as Gazania pavonia, must be one of Namaqualand 's most well-known and striking perennial plants....

18 / 09 / 2006 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gazania rigens var. leucolaena

Gazania rigens var. leucolaena
Common names: trailing gazania (Eng.); strandgazania, strandgousblom, rankbotterblom (Afr.); ububendle (Zulu)
Family: Asteraceae

When in full flower, the bright yellow flower heads set against the greyish white leaves, create an attractive, bright, cheerful patch to lighten up any...

18 / 10 / 2010 | Paul Herman | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Gazania rigida

Gazania rigida in flower
Common names: Karoo gazania
Family: Asteraceae

Gazania rigida is not easy to miss during late winter to early summer when it colours the landscape in bright splashes of orange and yellow....

16 / 09 / 2013 | Roger Oliver | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Gazania splendidissima

Gazania splendidissima subshrub
Common names: None
Family: Asteraceae

Gazania splendidissima is an eye-catching perennial with striking greyish, semi-succulent leaves and golden-yellow to orange flowers....

13 / 02 / 2012 | Anthony R. Magee | Compton Herbarium
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Geissorhiza aspera

Geissorhiza aspera
Common names: blue satin flower (Eng.), blousysie, syblom (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza aspera. a common sight in spring, is a diminutive little plant with star-like flowers, which floods the veld with shades of blue when grown...

23 / 10 / 2006 | C Cowell | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Geissorhiza eurystigma

Flowers
Common names: wine cups (Engl.); kelkie wyn (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza eurystigma is one of the few species in its genus with such large and colourful flowers. The combination of purple and red is indeed a beautiful...

03 / 11 / 2014 | Brittany Arendse | CREW
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Geissorhiza purpureolutea

Geissorhiza purpureolutea
Common names: satin flower, wine-cup
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza purpureolutea is a rare species with cream to yellow flowers with a dark brown to purple centre. It is suited to growing in pots....

27 / 06 / 2011 | Vathiswa Zikishe | CREW
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Geissorhiza radians

Geissorhiza radians plants
Common names: winecups, satin flower
Family: Iridaceae

Looking much like half-full wine glasses, Geissorhiza radians lights up the veld in late spring, providing a spectacular but uncommon sight....

27 / 10 / 2008 | Gary Shanks | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Geissorhiza splendidissima

Common names: blue pride of Nieuwoudtville (Eng.); blou trots van Nieuwoudtville (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Because of its beautiful, brilliant, dark purple-blue flowers, Geissorhiza splendidissima is called the blou trots van Nieuwoudtville (blue pride of Nieuwoudtville)...

17 / 08 / 2009 | Colleen Rust | Hantam NBG
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Geissorhiza tulbaghensis

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Common names: Tulbagh satin flower (Eng.); sysie (Afr.)
Family: Iridaceae

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis has one of the most beautiful, and largest flowers in its genus. It does well as a pot plant and is one of the most easily cultivated...

06 / 01 / 2020 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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