Plants of the Week

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E.g., 04/12/2024
E.g., 04/12/2024

Gladiolus longicollis

Gladiolus longicollis (Dineo Dibakwane)
Common names: honey flower (Eng.); aandblom (Afr.); umbejo (Zulu); khahla-e-nyenyane, kukhurupa (Southern Sotho)
Family: Iridaceae

Gladiolus longicollis has pale yellow to white, long-tubed, night-blooming flowers that are either uniformly coloured or mottled with brown and have a...

13 / 11 / 2017 | Bathabile Ndlovu | KwaZulu-Natal NBG
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Chironia krebsii

Chironia krebsii (Nick Helme)
Common names: Kreb’s chironia (Eng.); khomoeasephatla, mamorolane, mosia (Sesotho); umanqunduswazi, umbangwangwa (isiZulu)
Family: Gentianaceae

A beautiful perennial with striking pink flowers with prominent yellow anthers....

20 / 11 / 2017 | Nomama Mei | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Ammocharis coranica

Ammocharis coranica
Common names: karoo lily, koranna lily, sore eye flower, bible flower, ground lily (Eng.); berglelie, gifbol, seeroogblom (Afr.); boka (Sesotho); isidiya, icukudo,
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Ammocharis coranica lives up to its common name, sore eye flower. This striking beautiful bulb, with its umbel inflorescence, delivers spectacular flower...

20 / 11 / 2017 | Ricardo Riddles | Karoo Desert NBG
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Euphorbia sekukuniensis

Euphorbia sekukuniensis
Common names: Sekhukhune candelabra-tree, Sekhukhune euphorbia (Eng.); sekhukhunenaboom (Afr.)
Family: Euphorbiaceae

A rare, small, succulent tree that is endemic in Sekhukhuneland, in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where it occurs in a specialized habitat....

27 / 11 / 2017 | Ntuthuko Mabuya | Pretoria 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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Ficus muelleriana

Ficus muelleriana
Common names: wandering rock-fig, Chimanimani rock-fig, Mueller’s climbing fig (Eng.); chimanimanirotsvy (Afr.)
Family: Moraceae

Ficus muelleriana represents a fairly recent discovery. It is a rare, cliff-dwelling, scandent shrub, with beautiful heart-shaped leaves, reddish leaf...

04 / 12 / 2017 | Ernst van Jaarsveld | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Pachycarpus natalensis

Pachycarpus natalensis
Common names: Natal thick-fruit, Natal pachycarpus (Eng.); ishongwe elibomvu elikhulu (isiZulu)
Family: Apocynaceae

Pachycarpus natalensis is one of many amazingly beautiful indigenous plants, which is almost never cultivated. This is due to the short span of its flowering,...

04 / 12 / 2017 | Stoffel Petrus Pieter Bester | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Aloe reitzii var. vernalis

Aloe reitzii var. vernalis
Common names: Vryheid aloe
Family: Asphodelaceae

Aloe reitzii var. vernalis is a rare endemic known from a single population, growing on steep slopes around Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal. It has showy, dark...

11 / 12 / 2017 | Hlengiwe Mtshali | CREW
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Rhizophora mucronata

Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mucronata.
Common names: red mangrove (Eng.); rooiwortelboom (Afr.); umhlume, umngombamkhonto (Zul.); umhluma (Xho.)
Family: Rhizophoraceae

A conical tree with a distinctive root growth and fascinating growing habit, occurring in the tidal estuaries, lagoons and swamps, as a member of a mangrove...

11 / 12 / 2017 | Mpendulo Gabayi | 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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Azanza garckeana

Azanza garckeana (Bart Wurston)
Common names: azanza, quarters, Rhodesian tree-hibiscus, slime-apple, snot-apple, tree-hibiscus (Eng.); slymappel, snotappel (Afr.); caglacagla, ixaguxagu, ixakuxak
Family: Malvaceae

Azanza garckeana with its non-aggressive root system, large leaves and crinkled yellow flowers, makes a beautiful shade tree which has the added bonus...

18 / 12 / 2017 | Ashton Welcome | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Barleria rigida var. ilicina

Barleria rigida var. ilicina
Common names: Kalahari scorpion thistle (Eng.); skerpioendissel (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

A prickly barleria from the Kalahari, ideal for sunny rockeries and waterwise gardens, it is frost hardy and drought tolerant....

21 / 12 / 2017 | Willem Froneman | Lowveld NBG
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Umtiza listeriana

Umtiza listeriana (Geoff Nichols)
Common names: umtiza (Eng.); umtiza, omtisa (Afr.); umtiza (Xho.)
Family: Fabaceae

A genus of one species in the legume family, found in a small area of the Eastern Cape; a spiny tree with prominent glossy, dark green foliage, and a perfect...

25 / 12 / 2017 | Mpendulo Gabayi | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Brassica

Brassica tournefortii (Ron Vanderhoff)
Common names: mustard, cabbage, kale, rape
Family: Brassicaceae

Members of this genus are known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages or mustard plants. Commonly used for food (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels...

01 / 01 / 2018 | Tlou Manyelo | National Herbarium Pretoria
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Euryops ‘Silver Sunshine’

Euryops 'Silver Sunshine'
Common names: ‘Silver Sunshine’ resin bush (Eng.); ‘Silver Sunshine’ harpuisbos (Afr.)
Family: Asteraceae

This Euryops hybrid was discovered in full bloom in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, much to the delight of the horticulturists, as it is a beautiful,...

01 / 01 / 2018 | Cherise Viljoen | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Raphionacme hirsuta

Raphionacme hirsuta
Common names: false gentian, khadi-root (Eng.); khadiwortel, khadi (Afr.); kherenchane (SSo.); intsema (Xho.); umathangane, umathanjana (Zul.)
Family: Apocynaceae

An attractive, small, summer-growing perennial, with a large, tuberous root and pretty starry flowers in shades of purple, mauve and white, in early summer....

08 / 01 / 2018 | Stemmer Ngalo | Free State NBG
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Jamesbrittenia microphylla

Jamesbrittenia microphylla
Common names: purple phlox
Family: Scrophulariaceae

A striking plant with purple, star-like flowers, that are mostly present throughout out the year....

08 / 01 / 2018 | Phakamani Xaba | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Duvernoia aconitiflora

Common names: yellow pistolbush, lemon pistolbush (Eng.); geelpistoolbos, lemoenpistoolbos (Afr.)
Family: Acanthaceae

Duvernoia aconitiflora is now called Justicia aconitiflora. ...

15 / 01 / 2018 | | Kirstenbosch NBG
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Struthiola striata

Struthiola striata
Common names: roemenaggie, katstertjie (Afr.)
Family: Thymelaeaceae

A pretty shrub with four petaloid scales and cream-coloured flowers, honey-scented at night....

15 / 01 / 2018 | Thuli Makhoba | Compton Herbarium
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Gladiolus virgatus

Gladiolus virgatus (I. Ebrahim)
Common names: Helderberg Painted Lady
Family: Iridaceae

Lovers of the outdoors visiting Nature Reserves in the Boland mountains of the Western Cape, will often be enthralled by cheerful displays of pretty pink...

22 / 01 / 2018 | Gigi Laidler | CREW
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