Plants of the Week

Erythrina zeyheri

Common names: harrow-breaker, plough-breaker (Eng.); ploegbreker (Afr.); khungoana, motumo (Southern Sotho?); umnsinsana (Zulu)

Family: Fabaceae

It is only in Africa where one can find this stunning, hardy, deciduous shrublet that produces brilliant scarlet flowers in late spring — local is...

08 / 03 / 2004 | K Behr | Pretoria NBG

Erythrina lysistemon

Common names: common coral tree, lucky bean tree (E), gewone koraalboom, kanniedood (A), umsintsi (X), muvhale (V), mophete (Tsw), mokhungwane (Sotho), umsinsi (Z)

Family: Fabaceae

Erythrina lysistemon is a lovely, small to medium-sized, deciduous tree with a spreading crown and brilliant red flowers. It is a handsome tree at...

02 / 09 / 2002 | Giles Mbambezeli | Kirstenbosch NBG

Erythrina latissima

Common names: broad-leaved coral tree (Eng.); breëblaarkoraalboom, grootblaar (Afr.); umnqwane, umsintsi (Xhosa); umqwabagqwaba, umqongqazi (Zulu); mokhupye (North

Family: Fabaceae

This most unusual of the South African Erythrina species is an interesting tree with major bird-attracting potential....

01 / 01 / 2007 | B Tarr | KwaZulu-Natal NBG

Erythrina humeana

Common names: dwarf coral tree (E), kleinkoraalboom (A), umsinsana, ikati (Z), umsintsane, umsintsi, utambuki (X), umdvumbula (S), mokhupye (NS)

Family: Fabaceae

The dwarf coral tree is an ideal tree or shrub for the small garden, especially for people who love the scarlet flowers of the common coral tree (Erythrina...

15 / 01 / 2001 | Andrew Hankey | Walter Sisulu NBG

Erythrina caffra

Common names: coast coral tree (Eng.); kuskoraalboom (Afr.); umsinsi (Zulu); umsintsi (Xhosa)

Family: Fabaceae

Erythrina is known as the red genus, and E. caffra is widely loved for its warm red to scarlet-coloured flowers, which appear from...

16 / 10 / 2006 | Werner Voigt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Erythrina acanthocarpa

Common names: Tambookie Thorn, Tambuki Thorn (Eng.), Tamboekiedoring, Tamboekiewortel, Wag-'n-Bietjiedoring (Afr.)

Family: Fabaceae

This is a very attractive shrub with striking red and green flowers....

03 / 09 / 2001 | Sharon Turner | Walter Sisulu NBG

Eriosema umtamvunense

Common names: Umtamvuna eriosema

Family: Fabaceae

Eriosema umtamvunense is an erect perennial shrub, with densely hairy stems, leaves and pods, red and yellow flowers in summer, a horizontal woody rootstock,...

07 / 01 / 2019 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Eriosema preptum

Common names: distinguished eriosema

Family: Fabaceae

A perennial herb with attractive yellow-orange flowers, that is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal. ...

25 / 05 / 2020 | Lungisani Zondi | Walter Sisulu NBG

Eriosema latifolium

Common names: Pondoland eriosema

Family: Fabaceae

Eriosema latifolium is an erect perennial herb characterized by velvety hairy stems, trifoliolate leaves and distinctive yellow, reflexed flowers on stalks...

19 / 02 / 2024 | Simphiwe Mtsweni | Walter Sisulu NBG

Eriosema kraussianum

Common names: pale yellow eriosema (Eng.)

Family: Fabaceae

Eriosema kraussianum is an erect, fairly small, tufted, perennial herb, with its stems covered in silvery silky hairs and with pale yellow flowers. It...

13 / 04 / 2015 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG

Eriosema cordatum

Common names: heart-leaf eriosema (Eng.); leshetla (Sesotho); ubangalala, umhlabankunzi (isiZulu)

Family: Fabaceae

Eriosema cordatum is a fascinating plant known for its aphrodisiac and medicinal properties, beautiful vibrant flowers and heart-shaped leaves, which make...

26 / 08 / 2024 | Mpho Mathalauga | Pretoria NBG

Eriocephalus racemosus

Common names: coast wild rosemary (Eng.); strandveldkapok, kapkappie, strandkapokbos, kapokkie (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Eriocephalus racemosus is not only an ideal low screening plant but will also attract insects, and in turn the insects will encourage the birds to visit...

10 / 08 / 2015 | Benjamin Festus | Kirstenbosch NBG

Eriocephalus africanus

Common names: wild rosemary (Eng.), wilderoosmaryn, kapokbos (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Wild rosemary is one of the shrubs that most people in the Cape know because it is so common in the veld and easy to identify with its thin, grey leaves,...

11 / 06 / 2001 | Liesl Van der Walt | Kirstenbosch NBG

Eriocephalus

Common names: wild rosemary (Eng.); kapokbos, wilderoosmaryn (Afr.)

Family: Asteraceae

Highly aromatic shrubs which are most distinctive when covered in fluffy white fruiting heads from late spring to early summer. Thus the vernacular name, kapokbos (Afrikaans...

22 / 10 / 2012 | B Busch | Compton Herbarium

Erica walkeria

Common names: Swellendam heath, quality heath, Walker’s heath (Eng.); swellendamsheide (Afr.)

Family: Ericaceae

Erica walkeria is a densely leafy, shrubby heath with masses of starry, pink, urn-shaped flowers in small heads in spring, and makes a rewarding potplant...

05 / 12 / 2022 | Kamogelo Solomon Modimola | Kirstenbosch NBG

Erica verticillata

Common names: whorled heath, marsh heath

Family: Ericaceae

How could a plant as hardy and strikingly beautiful as Erica verticillata have been allowed to reach the precipice of extinction? Fortunately the story...

04 / 02 / 2013 | Anthony Hitchcock | Kirstenbosch NBG