Universiteit Stellenbosch University
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

Information for Artists

​​​Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden embraces botanical art and creative art to support and showcase our mission.

We hold at least one annual botanical art exhibition in October and encourage artists to paint or draw from our important collections on our premises. These focused exhibitions are very popular with works also available for sale to visitors. We are seeking funding to ensure outstanding works of our most important plants are purchased for permanent display in the SUBG botanical art collection and to promote botanical art in South Africa.

​​​Artist access to SUBG plants

We will provide access to nearly all of our collections to recognised botanical artists and BAASA members. For critical conservation items this will likely be supervised access at our offices. Where we do have spare or excess material, removal of plants from soil or loans to take home may be possible, but this will not be normal practise.

We request that artists record the full SUBG accession and item number/s when illustrating our material. This will be in the form YYYY-SequentialNo/ItemNo (e.g. 2024-345/2). Our world​​​ class collection database and information management system for our living collection is then a permanent reference linked to the illustration or painting. This greatly increases the scientific value of the paintings, just as working from a herbarium voucher specimen or type specimen would.

Scientific names and nomenclature

Plant scientific names conform to a global system with strict rules.

Most important, the Genus name is always Capitalised, and species name is always lower case, and all subtaxon names for subspecies, variety and form names are also lower case. The actual substaxon type will NOT be capitalised. E.g. Conophytum herreanthus subsp. herreanthus.

While horticultural cultivars are not our focus, it is worth noting that these are indicated as cv. with the name in single apstrophe and not italicised. Cultivar names are also lower case except where a proper noun is included, such as person's name or place name. e.g. Rosa cv. 'red delight' or Rosa ​cv. 'Jenson's button'.

​​​​SUBG's high value conservation collections for illustration.

This current list of species are a priority for illustration for us, with an indication of flowering time.​

Taxon nameSANBI Red List status​FamilyFloweringProgress
Acrodon parvifolius  ENAizoaceaeAug; Sep
Cheiridopsis purpurea  RareAizoaceaeAug; Sep
Conophytum bolusiae subsp. bolusiaeVUAizoaceaeSep; Oct; Nov; Dec
Conophytum herreanthus subsp. herreanthusEWAizoaceaeApr; May
Gibbaeum album  CRAizoaceaeDec
Gibbaeum dispar  VUAizoaceaeApr
Gibbaeum esterhuyseniae  CRAizoaceaeOct; Nov
Gibbaeum petrense  VUAizoaceaeSep; Oct
Jordaaniella anemoniflora  CR (PE)AizoaceaeMay; Jun; Jul; Aug; Sep
Lampranthus aureus  VUAizoaceaeAug; Sep
Lampranthus glaucus  VUAizoaceaeJul; Aug; Sep
Lampranthus reptans  NTAizoaceaeAug; Sep; Oct
Lampranthus schlechteri  CRAizoaceaeOct; NovNot currently available
Lampranthus stenopetalus  VUAizoaceaeNov
Lithops otzeniana  VUAizoaceaeApr; May; JunIn progress (Willie Schlechter)
Ruschia tecta  ENAizoaceaeOct; Nov
Tanquana hilmarii  CRAizoaceaeMar; Apr; May; Jun; JulNot currently available
Trichodiadema occidentale  VUAizoaceaeJun; Jul
Trichodiadema pygmaeum  ENAizoaceaeJul
Brunsvigia josephinae  VUAmaryllidaceaeFeb; Mar
Gethyllis kaapensis  ENAmaryllidaceaeNov; DecAlready done (Ann Norris, Donovan Kirkwood)
Haemanthus pumilio  CRAmaryllidaceaeMar; AprAlready done (Martine Robinson)
Tulbaghia violacea subsp. macmasteriRareAmaryllidaceaeNov; Dec; Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr
Stapelia divaricata subsp. divaricataVUApocynaceaeSep; Oct; Nov; Dec; Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr; May
Aponogeton angustifolius  VUAponogetonaceaeAug; SepIn progress (Martine Robinson)
Lachenalia barberae  CRAsparagaceaeNov; Dec
Lachenalia calcicola  ENAsparagaceaeApr; May
Lachenalia corymbosa  VUAsparagaceaeApr; MayIn progress (Penny Mustart)
Lachenalia mathewsii  ENAsparagaceaeSepNot currently available
Lachenalia orchioides var. glaucinaCRAsparagaceaeAug; Sep; Oct
Lachenalia reflexa  ENAsparagaceaeJun; Jul
Aloe pearsonii  VUAsphodelaceaeDec; Jan
Aloidendron dichotomum  VUAsphodelaceaeJun; Jul
Gasteria pillansii var. halliiENAsphodelaceaeNov; Dec; Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr
Haworthia groenewaldii  DDDAsphodelaceaeJan; Feb
Athanasia capitata  AsteraceaeNov; Dec; Jan; Feb; Mar; Apr
Marasmodes crewiana  CRAsteraceaeApr; May
Marasmodes undulata  CRAsteraceaeApr; MayIn progress (Basia Swiel)
Adromischus mammillaris  ENCrassulaceaeDec
Tylecodon viridiflorus  VUCrassulaceaeJan; Feb
Dioscorea strydomiana  CRDioscoreaceae
Euphorbia pseudoglobosa  VUEuphorbiaceaeApr; May; Jun; Jul
Aspalathus chenopoda  RareFabaceaeAug; Sep; Oct; Nov; Dec
Indigofera psoraloides  ENFabaceaeJun; Jul; Aug; Sep; Oct; Nov; Dec
Polhillia brevicalyx  CRFabaceaeOct
Polhillia groenewaldii  CRFabaceaeAug
Polhillia ignota  CRFabaceaeSep
Polhillia pallens  VUFabaceaeJun; Jul; Aug; Sep; Oct
Psoralea alata  VUFabaceaeDec; Jan
Psoralea cataracta  CRFabaceaeNov; Dec; Jan
Monsonia speciosa  ENGeraniaceaeAug; Sep; Oct; Nov
Pelargonium caledonicum  CRGeraniaceaeDec; JanIn progress (Mary Hann)
Pelargonium fergusoniae  ENGeraniaceaeNov; Dec; JanAlready done (Martine Robinson)
Pauridia alba  VUHypoxidaceaeApr; May; Jun
Babiana angustifolia  NTIridaceaeAug; Sep
Babiana foliosa  CRIridaceaeAug
Babiana fragrans  NTIridaceaeJul; Aug; Sep
Babiana melanops  VUIridaceaeAug; Sep
Babiana odorata  NTIridaceaeJul; Aug; Sep
Babiana pygmaea  CRIridaceaeAug
Babiana villosula  ENIridaceaeMay; Jun; Jul
Codonorhiza azurea  ENIridaceaeSep; Oct
Ferraria densepunctulata  VUIridaceaeMay; Jun; Jul
Freesia caryophyllacea  NTIridaceaeApr; May; Jun
Freesia fucata  ENIridaceaeJul
Freesia leichtlinii subsp. albaNTIridaceaeAug; Sep
Geissorhiza brehmii  VUIridaceaeAug; Sep; Oct
Geissorhiza erosa  ENIridaceaeAug; Sep
Geissorhiza imbricata  NTIridaceaeAug; Sep; Oct; NovNot currently available
Geissorhiza tenella  NTIridaceaeOct; Nov; Dec
Geissorhiza tulbaghensis  ENIridaceaeAug; SepNot currently available
Gladiolus aureus  CRIridaceaeAug; Sep
Gladiolus quadrangulus  ENIridaceaeAug; Sep; Oct
Gladiolus recurvus  VUIridaceaeJun; Jul; Aug; Sep
Gladiolus trichonemifolius  VUIridaceaeJul; Aug; Sep; OctNot currently available
Ixia abbreviata  VUIridaceaeAug; Sep; OctNot currently available
Ixia leipoldtii  CRIridaceaeSep
Ixia monadelpha  ENIridaceaeSep; Oct
Ixia rouxii  CRIridaceaeOct; Nov
Ixia sarmentosa  ENIridaceaeOct; Nov
Ixia versicolor  CRIridaceaeOctAlready done
Moraea amissa  CRIridaceaeOct
Moraea atropunctata  CRIridaceaeSep
Moraea barnardii  CRIridaceaeSep; Oct
Moraea elegans  ENIridaceaeAug; Sep
Moraea tulbaghensis  ENIridaceaeSep
Moraea versicolor  VUIridaceaeOct
Moraea villosa subsp. villosaVUIridaceaeAug; Sep
Moraea vuvuzela  ENIridaceaeAug
Romulea aquatica  ENIridaceaeAug; Sep
Romulea sladenii  VUIridaceaeAug; Sep
Watsonia humilis  CRIridaceaeSep; Oct; Nov
Watsonia strictiflora  CRIridaceaeNov; DecNot currently available
Hermannia procumbens  CRMalvaceaeSep; Oct
Disa procera  ENOrchidaceaeOct
Oxalis attaquana  RareOxalidaceaeJun
Oxalis dines  VUOxalidaceaeJun; Jul; Aug
Oxalis disticha  NTOxalidaceaeJun; Jul; Aug
Oxalis droseroides  ENOxalidaceaeMay
Oxalis duriuscula  ENOxalidaceaeMar; Apr; May
Oxalis fragilis  CROxalidaceaeMay; Jun; Jul; AugAlready done (Carrol Reddick)
Oxalis hygrophila  CR (PE)OxalidaceaeSep
Oxalis levis  CROxalidaceaeJun
Oxalis meisneri  VUOxalidaceaeApr; May; Jun
Oxalis natans  CROxalidaceaeSep; Oct; Nov
Oxalis oreithala  VUOxalidaceaeJulIn progress (Martine Robinson)
Oxalis oreophila  Critically RareOxalidaceaeMay; JunIn progress, can be duplicated
Oxalis pallens  ENOxalidaceaeMay; Jun
Oxalis pseudo-hirta  CR (PE)OxalidaceaeMay; Jun
Oxalis simplex  DDTOxalidaceaeJul; Sep; Aug
Oxalis stictocheila  ENOxalidaceaeJun; Jul
Oxalis suavis  VUOxalidaceaeMay; Jun
Oxalis uliginosa  ENOxalidaceaeJun; Jul; Aug; Sep
Oxalis variifolia  CROxalidaceaeMay; JunIn progress (Cati Vawda), can be duplicated
Portulacaria pygmaea  ENPortulacaceaeFeb
Diastella buekii  CRProteaceaeAug; Sep; Oct; NovNot currently available
Protea scolymocephala  VUProteaceaeAug; Sep; Oct
Restio duthieaeVURestionaceaeAug; Sep; OctIn progress (Inge Semple)
Cliffortia marginata  ENRosaceaeMar; Apr
Agathosma lanceolata  VURutaceaeApr; May; Jun; Jul; Aug
Agathosma orbicularis  CRRutaceaeJul; Aug; Sep