Glossary: c
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Carissa bispinosa
Posted on It is evergreen and twiggy, the branches exhibiting a repeated forked pattern. The plants contain a milky sap and the branches are often hairy. Spines are once- or twice-forked, rarely single, and are sometimes even absent. Found in wooded areas... Read more » -
Carissa macrocarpa
Posted on This fast growing thorny shrub / small tree is widely seen in Steenbok. The young branches are green and all parts of the plant exude a white, milky, non-toxic latex. The beautiful white flowers give way to red fleshy fruit from... Read more » -
Carpobrotus deliciosus
Posted on Robust succulent perennial with trailing stems which quickly forms a dense ground cover. The leaves are finger-like are triangular in cross-section and the flowers are pink. It has a long flowering period, nearly all year round. Read more » -
Cassine peragua subsp. peragua
Posted on Can easily be identified by its’ flaky bark which is grey with orange patches. The leaves are almost circular. The fruit is green at first turning to orange and then black. Good for fire wood. Read more » -
Cassine tetragona
Posted on Woody climber, scrambling shrub or a small tree with short side shoots pointing backwards to assist in climbing. Flowers in clusters, small, creamy white. Fruit fleshy about 8mmin diameter, green ripening red to purplish black. Read more » -
Casuarina cunninghamiana
Posted on Evergreen, pine-like tree invading coastal dunes. A native of Australia that has been cultivated in South Africa for dune stabilization, ornament and shelter. Considered one of the best fuel woods in the world. All of these trees have been removed... Read more » -
Centella asiatica
Posted on Prostrate creeping, evergreen perennial, spreading with stolons and rooting at nodes. It has kidney-shaped leaves with indented margins, growing in marshy or damp places. In summer, it bears clusters of tiny inconspicuous pinkish-red flowers in groups of three, hidden under... Read more » -
Cestrum laevitigata
Posted on Invasive Status in South Africa: NEMBA Cat 1b Origin: South America Large evergreen shrub / tree the young leafy shoots and green berries of which are toxic. This poisonous plant has lance-shaped leaves and greenish-yellow, tube-shaped flowers, which appear from... Read more » -
Chaenostoma campanulatum
Posted on A hairy perennial, compact little plant producing runners. The leaves are coarsely toothed, The tiny, broadly funnel-shaped white flowers appear mainly from mid-winter to mid-summer. This plant is found before the shrubbery, in the long grass west of the tennis... Read more » -
Chasmanthe aethiopica
Posted on The pale green leaves are lance-shaped with a prominent mid-vein, 12-20 mm wide. The deep orange flower is trumpet-shaped with a tube that is divided into a slender, twisted lower portion, 7-15 mm long, and then abruptly swollen into a... Read more » -
Chenolea diffusa
Posted on Spreading succulent with low straggling stems growing horizontally with upright branches and grey/green fleshy leaves with a velvety texture, turning to bright shades of orange and red. Flowers are very tiny. Grows towards high shore. Read more » -
Chenopodium album
Posted on Not listed on NEMBA legislation, however it is a troublesome weed smothering other natural vegetation. A fast-growing weedy annual plant that is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India as a food crop. Read more » -
Chenopodium album L.
Posted on White goosefoot is an annual, multi-branched, erect herb that can grow as tall as 1,5 m. This weed has a sturdy taproot and the stems are ribbed, green-yellowish, often reddish striped and hairless. The leaves are simple, alternately arranged and... Read more » -
Chionanthus foveolatus
Posted on Evergreen small tree, bark grey and slightly scaly with spots when young. Leathery leaves, usually there are domatia present in the axils of the main lateral veins. Small creamy white fragrant flowers occur in short sprays in axils of leaves.... Read more » -
Chironia baccifera
Posted on Grows profusely at the west end of the Park. Normally 450 mm tall, and as wide, producing a mass of starry, bright pink flowers (3/5 mm wide) and followed by a mass of red berries. A spectacular show in 2005... Read more » -
Cineraria geifolia
Posted on Roughly hairy perennial with kidney shaped and toothed leaves. Flower heads in flat-topped clusters. Found mainly in coastal bush. Read more » -
Cineraria saxifraga
Posted on A soft perennial shrublet with a spreading rounded bushy habit with delicate foliage and bright yellow flowers but unlike C. lobata does not have ear-like lobes at the base of the petioles (leafstalk). A very showy little bush with a... Read more » -
Clivia miniata
Posted on Indigenous to Eastern Cape and endemic to southern Africa. This clump-forming perennial with dark green, strap-shaped leaves is widely cultivated in domestic gardens. Growing nicely in shade, it shows its bright orange flowers in trumpet shapes mainly during spring but... Read more » -
Clivia nobilis
Posted on This evergreen fleshy bulb-like rhizome forms a tight clump as new suckers are produced and the plant becomes larger. It does well in light shade but grows much taller and more upright in dense shade. The height can therefore vary between... Read more » -
Colchicum eucomoides
Posted on A dwarf plant growing from a small perennial corm. The prostrate leaves are long, narrow and tapering, grading into shorter bracts that envelop the flower heads. The flowers themselves are insignificant. Name recently changed from Androcymbium. Read more » -
Coleonema album
Posted on This showy buchu carries oil glands on the underside of the leaves making them sweet smelling. It grows well in domestic gardens on Leisure Isle forming a lovely compact shrub. The flowers literally cover this bush, turning it into a stunning... Read more » -
Coleonema pulchellum
Posted on Dense, aromatic evergreen, rounded shrub that flowers profusely with small star-like pink flowers. Growing from one single stem from which many erect branches form. The flowers cover the entire shrub from autumn until spring. Read more » -
Commelina africana L.
Posted on Commelina africana differs from most other Commelina species by having pretty, small, canary-yellow flowers instead of the usual blue flowers, and also the spathe (bract) is simply folded and not joined. The plant is a spreading herb that flourishes in... Read more » -
Commelina benghalensis
Posted on Not listed in NEMBA legislation, however it is a troublesome weed, can smother and out compete other natural vegetation. Currently being dealt with west of the Tennis courts. Commelina benghalesis is a common, widespread weed found throughout southern Africa, tropical Africa... Read more » -
Convolvulus arvensis
Posted on Invasive Status South Africa: NEMBA 1b Dainty little plant commonly seen winding its way up grasses and small shrubs in the Park. The few leaves are very narrow and the diameter of flowers from 15 to 35 mm. Read more » -
Cotula coronopifolia
Posted on Erect or sprawling perennial up to H30cm, moisture lover and salt tolerant with creeping stems which root under water which is why it is found growing in areas of the park subjected to flooding at spring tide. Flowers very small... Read more » -
Cotula coronopifolia
Posted on Moisture lover with creeping stems which root under water. Growing in the park in an area that floods at spring tide. Flowers very small at less than 10 mm. Read more » -
Cotula sericea
Posted on Silky, sprawling herbaceous perennial with solitary button-like flowers of 10 to 15 mm in diameter on elongate leafless stalks. The leaves and stems are covered in fine hairs, giving it a silky smooth texture. Their life span is only a... Read more » -
Cotyledon orbiculata
Posted on This fast growing succulent shrub provides interest throughout the year with its thick ear-looking leaves. The margins of the leaves often have a red line around it. The bell-shaped flowers are strikingly beautiful, hanging in clusters on the ends of... Read more » -
Crassula altropurpurea
Posted on Small, hardy, succulent plant growing near the bench over-looking Kingfisher Creek. It is found along the west and south-east coastlines. The ovoid to paddle shaped leaves are evenly spaced along erect stems. It bears flowers 4 mm long arranged in... Read more » -
Crassula dejecta
Posted on Neat, densely branched, upright perennial shrublet with leaves that are slightly fleshy, often tinged red, with a row of rounded, bead-like hairs on the margins that give the leaves a silvery edge but which one needs a magnifying lens to... Read more » -
Crassula expansa subsp. filicaulis
Posted on Weak sprawling perennial with herbaceous stems, often rooting at nodes. The leaves are often reddish in colour, opposite, obovate to ellipsoid. The small solitary dainty flowers appear on short stalks at the branches’ tips. Read more » -
Crassula multicava
Posted on A mat forming evergreen perennial, happy in sun or shade. The round leaves are light to dark green depending on the position in the garden, darker in the shade and paler in semi-shade to sunny places. The flowers are petite,... Read more » -
Crassula nudicaulis
Posted on This is a low-growing tufted perennial with fleshy branches with short or even no stem. Flowers in small clusters forming elongate panicles. Read more » -
Crassula ovata
Posted on A large well-branched, rounded, evergreen shrub with glossy, dark grey-green, oval, succulent leaves. The leaves are in opposite pairs with red margins and pointy ends. The bush is covered by sweetly scented star-shaped flowers which are followed by small capsules... Read more » -
Crassula perfoliata
Posted on An erect, sparingly branched perennial succulent up to about 1.5 m high when in flower, often growing singly. The succulent leaves are oblong and sickle-shaped, arranged in opposite rows, laterally compressed, ascending-spreading and with blunt ends. The small flowers are arranged... Read more » -
Crassula sarmentosa
Posted on Found in forest areas between Knysna and the Transkei. This evergreen succulent grows prostrate with stems often quadrangular and with very small flowers with petals up to 4,5 mm in length. The succulent leaves are slightly toothed. Read more » -
Crassula tetragona
Posted on This is a hardy, evergreen, succulent shrub with rows of bright-green, sword-shaped leaves which areevenly arranged in crossed, opposite pairs along the stems and are held upright in a vertical position. The flowers appear in flat-topped clusters of small, cream... Read more » -
Crocosmia aurea
Posted on Found mainly from Tsitsikamma further East. The flowering stem is branched and angled with numerous showy flowers at the ends of tall spikes. The fruits are very attractive with shiny black seeds set in bright red capsules.1. Read more » -
Crotalaria capensis
Posted on Small, upright, fast growing tree with drooping branches. They are pollinated mainly by carpenter bees which make a soothing buzz as they collect pollen and nectar. The name ‘Rattle pod’ refers to the dried seed pods which rattle in the... Read more » -
Curio repens
Posted on This is a succulent spreading shrublet with erect habits. The many branched stems forming dense mats on the ground. The leaves are nearly cylindrical, up to 1cm in diameter and up to 8cm long. They are flatter on their inner... Read more » -
Curtisia dentata
Posted on A medium to tall evergreen tree, 2-12 m and up to 20 m in height. The leaves are simple, egg-shaped with pointed tips and coarsely toothed edges, and are arranged in opposite pairs. The leaf’s upper surface is smooth and... Read more » -
Cussonia spicata
Posted on An unusual and distinctive tree with thick corky grey trunk. The juicy roots are a source of water in times of drought. The mature wood was used for wagon brake blocks. Read more » -
Cussonia thyrsiflora
Posted on SA Tree No. 565 Usually an evergreen, scrambling shrub, often a climber. But also can be a small tree. Most commonly found in dry coastal scrub, often within reach of salt sea spray. The leaf stalk is long and fleshy,... Read more » -
Cymbopogon plurinodis
Posted on Grows in open grassland and occurs in all soil types. It is a poor grazing grass. Read more » -
Cynanchum africanum
Posted on An aggressive climber found all over the reserve with slender stems and branches. They contain milky, bitter latex that is apparently non-irritant. The leaves are heart-shaped and the horn-shaped fruits contain club-shaped plumed seeds Read more » -
Cynanchum ellipticum
Posted on Delicate climber found at Kingfisher Creek twining its way up grasses and shrubs. The shiny bright green leaves contain milky, bitter latex that is apparently non-irritant. They are broadly elliptical with a pronounced tip at the apex and appear in... Read more » -
Cynodon dactylon
Posted on Kweek grows in all types of soil, especially sandy, and is found in disturbed damp places. It is probably the most useful grass as it can endure heavy grazing and offers excellent pasture. It remains green until late in the... Read more » -
Cyrtanthus elatus
Posted on This very beautiful bulb is found mainly in the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains. It bears bright green slender, strap-shaped leaves. The brilliant funnel-shaped flowers are 120mm long and 80mm across. The word “cyrtanthus” refers to the Greek word meaning “curved... Read more » -
Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Posted on Bulbous geophyte producing one or two remarkably striking scarlet flowers on a stem up to 30cm long. These flowers are accompanied by 1 to 4 narrow, dark green, strap-like leaves. The bulbs are unexpectedly large, being 10cm in diameter when... Read more »