Glossary: p
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Passerina rigida
Posted on Multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub with a somewhat weeping habit occurring mainly on coastal dunes and growing prolifically in the Park. The bark is used as twine. Read more » -
Passiflora caerulea
Posted on Invasive Status in South Africa: Cat. 1b Origin: South America. Tendril climber with beautiful flower that turns to green fruit, turning yellow or orange, 60 mm long. Read more » -
Pelargonium capitatum
Posted on This sprawling shrublet is sweetly aromatic and is cultivated for its rose scented oils – hence the common name. The whole plant, with the exception of the flowers, is covered with long soft white hairs which trap rain and dew-drops... Read more » -
Pelargonium dipetalum
Posted on This geophytic (i.e. a plant that propagate by means of underground organs such as bulbs, tubers or corms) herb which only reaches around 35cm in height. Its leaves are in opposite pairs to eachother and deeply divided almost to the... Read more » -
Pelargonium domesticum
Posted on This imported hybrid lives at “peace” on the northern shores of Leisure Isle. The genus Pelargonium gets its name from the fact that the shape its fruit looks like the beak of a stork, pelargos in Greek. Domesticus, domesticated plant. The plant has a... Read more » -
Pelargonium inquinans
Posted on This is a semi-succulent shrub with large round, velvety and hairy leaves. The flower heads are formed by clusters of 5-30 flowers. The upper two petals of each flower are slightly smaller and more upright than the lower three petals... Read more » -
Pelargonium multicaule
Posted on This is a striking sprawling much branched, hairy stemmed perennial shrub which is great as a groundcover. The hairless leaves are in opposite pairs to eachother and deeply divided almost to the midrib but not into separate leaflets. The long... Read more » -
Pelargonium panduriforme Eckl. & Zeyh.
Posted on Pelargonium panduriforme is a shrub that is well branched and erect. The young stems are considered to be soft and herbaceous but as the plant matures, the stem starts to develop a woody feature. The genus name for Pelargonium... Read more » -
Pelargonium scabrum
Posted on This lovely shrub is fairly erect and can grow to 1.2m, Its leaves are palmatisect (meaning they are divided to just before the petiole), roughly hairy and lemon-scented. The flowers are clustered with white edges changing to pink towards the... Read more » -
Pennisetum clandestinum
Posted on Although Kikuyu comes from central Africa, it is a valued grazing source for the dairy industry and for that reason it has been removed from the NEMBA listing. Kikuyu grows profusely in disturbed places especially in damp soil. Besides being... Read more » -
Persicaria decipiens
Posted on Not listed in NEMBA legislation, however it is a troublesome weed smothering other natural vegetation. A straggling plant with stems up to 1 m long covering quite large patches in marshy places. The leaves have russet shading and the tiny... Read more » -
Phragmites australis
Posted on A common reed grown all over the world in wet places and can be seen at the east end of the Park and in many places along George Rex Drive. Read more » -
Phylica ericoides
Posted on This is a tough, much-branched, bushy evergreen shrub that can flower all year around. The leaves are needle-like and closely set. The showy white flowersare fairly small but tightly packed into wide rounded capitula (heads) and have a fairly strong... Read more » -
Pittosporum viridiflorum
Posted on Pittosporum viridiflorum varies in size from a shrub of about 4m in height to a large forest tree of up to 30m. The bark is pale brown to greyish with distinctive white dots (lenticels). The leaves are usually wider above... Read more » -
Plantago crassifolia
Posted on Spreading succulent with long (10 cm), narrow, hairy and succulent leaves with flowers on dense flower spikes. Read more » -
Plantago lanceolata
Posted on Not listed on NEMBA legislation, however it is a troublesome weed smothering other natural vegetation. Perennial weed that grows in damp places and is a native to Europe. Read more » -
Plectranthus ambiguus
Posted on This plant is a perennial groundcover with spreading habits. The hairy stems root freely at the nodes while growing along the ground. The leaves are covered in thin hairs, ovate and have a wrinkly appearance. The flowers are densely packed... Read more » -
Plectranthus comosus
Posted on Invasive Status in South Africa: 1b Origin: North Africa Woolly plectranthus is a robust erect shrub up to 3 meters tall with a woody base. The stems and leaves are densely woolly. Leaves are large, usually more than 100mm long... Read more » -
Plectranthus ecklonii
Posted on A large straggling, perennial shrub which grows well in deep shade where the purple or white whorled sprays of flowers show up against the dark undergrowth. The large, ovate to elliptical leaves are arranged in opposite pairs on a square... Read more » -
Plectranthus fruticosus
Posted on The forest spur-flower is a fast growing soft-wooded shrub, with largely soft textured heart-shaped leaves that are toothed which produces masses of attractive pyramidal spikes of pink or bluish-mauve flowers. The larvae of certain butterflies feed on this plant and... Read more » -
Plectranthus mzimvubuensis
Posted on This perennial aromatic shrub comes from the Mzimvubu River area in the Transkei. Plants are easily propagated from cuttings; it is best suited to moist to dry thicket gardens. The beautiful flowers are carried on tall spikes. Plectranthus comes from the... Read more » -
Plectranthus neochilus
Posted on This plant is a hardy aromatic succulent herb, naturally found north/east of the Eastern Cape. It is a fast spreading ground cover with succulent grey-green leaves. The beautiful flowers are carried on tall spikes. Plectranthus comes from the Greek plektron meaning a spur... Read more » -
Plectranthus saccatus
Posted on This plant is originally from eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal but is now very happy in the shade in the plectranthus flower-bed near the main entrance to the Park. The leaves are ovate and lightly toothed. The flowers are among the... Read more » -
Plumbago auriculata
Posted on A large scrambling untidy shrub with clear blue flowers at the end of the branch tips. In summer, the bush is covered with glorious sky-blue flowers which are then followed by sticky hairy seeds. This shurb is well known to... Read more » -
Poa annua
Posted on Not listed in NEMBA legislation, however it is troublesome and can smother and out compete other natural vegetation. Grows in wet disturbed places, usually in the shade, and where moisture is available in the winter. It is regarded as weed... Read more » -
Podocarpus latifolius
Posted on The real yellowwood is one of South Africa’s most valued timber trees and is also South Africa ‘s National Tree. It is a slow-growing, usually large, evergreen tree, which grows to between 20 and 30 m in height. There are... Read more » -
Poecilolepis ficoidea
Posted on Small creeping succulent herb with erect stems which root at the nodes. The leaves are fleshy, narrow and long (4 to 5 cm) and the flowers are tiny (1,5 cm). Read more » -
Polygala ericifolia
Posted on This species is endemic to South Africa, and is commonly found in coastal fynbos from George to Port Elizabeth. An attractive, small shrub that grows up to 30cm in height. The numerous straight stems are covered with very narrow leaves... Read more » -
Polygala fruticosa
Posted on This is a neat, rounded evergreen shrub with young leaves that are tinged with purple, the shade echoed by the deep purple, winged flowers. These flowers are very striking and even though they resemble those of the pea family, they... Read more » -
Polygala myrtifolia
Posted on This evergreen sprawling or erect shrub / tree grows well on Leisure Isle and in both SteenbokPark and KingfisherCreek. It flowers intermittently throughout the year but is at its best during spring (hence its common name) and summer. The branches... Read more » -
POLYGALA VIRGATA
Posted on This is an evergreen shrub which, if left untouched, can grow to over 2m. The specimen in Steenbok can be seen alongside the footpath on the opposite side of the Indigenous Gardens. It will definitely catch your eye with its... Read more » -
Portulacaria afra
Posted on This under-rated evergreen succulent shrub or small tree can be seen as you approach the Indigenous gardens on your left. With small, shiny green to yellow round leaves, it is well known to be part of elephants’ diet in many... Read more » -
Psoralea pinnata
Posted on Found naturally in the extreme Western Cape. Usually has a slender stem that branches fairly low down and has angular branches. The leaves are resinous and release a slight scent when crushed. The genus pinnata(Latin) describes the pinnate leaves. The... Read more » -
Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus
Posted on Evergreen low-branching shrub or small tree occurring in coastal scrub and rarely on its own. It is low branching with a densely branched rounded canopy which may reach down to the ground. The flowers are small, fragrant, creamy-white and give... Read more »