An untidy-looking shrublet, the Sarcocaulon rigidum, is fairly abundant. A peculiarity of its structure is the sharp-pointed spines, which are specially modified stalks of former leaves. Leaves of vivid green cover these plants in the spring, and at times they are numerous enough to influence the colour of the landscape. Pink flowers appear on them in October.
The gravel plains.—The rising plains of the inner Namib, which have an altitude of 1,800 feet, some fifty miles from the coast, are swept by furious sand-laden winds for the greater part of the year. The sea-fogs rarely reach these areas, and, as the rainfall is a negligible quantity, no sign of life may be encountered for many miles, only a vast, monotonous waste of gravel and sand meets the eye. Occasionally one lights upon the typical Sarcocaulon rigidum, the Candle-bush or Bushman’s candle. This plant has been specially adapted to meet the conditions of the desert, and it is able to defy the hottest sun and the fiercest sandstorms. Layers of corky tissue, impregnated with a mixture of fat, wax, and resin, form the bark. This horny casing is the plant’s armour against the attacks of its enemies. It burns steadily like a wax candle with a yellow, smoky flame, even when cut fresh from the ground.
The Central Plateau
Beginning with Ovamboland, we find considerable forest tracts of acacia, with giant baobabs, and palms and fig-trees in the more open park-like spaces. The palm zone is found some distance south of the Kunene. Grasses cover the extensive plains after rains. On the uplands of Damaraland the genus Acacia plays an important part in the composition of the flora; in many places it predominates among the bushes and also among the trees.[10] With the acacias are found other notable species, including Combretum primigenium, and the large Ficus dammarensis.
The handsome Ana tree, Acacia albida, is frequently met with. The mountain valleys have a much more luxurious vegetation than the hills, since they are watered by the many rivulets that abound after rain.
On the eastern steppes where the country is sandy and poor in vegetation, that typical product of the Kalahari desert, the tsama melon, Citrullus vulgaris, is found. Both man and beast rejoice in this juicy melon. In its raw state it has remarkable thirst-quenching properties, and when cooked it is a satisfying food. The seeds are oily and very fattening. This fruit often affords the only supply of water for travellers in this dry and dreary region. That queer little plant, known as Uyntjes, a kind of sedge, is also found in this region, and the bulbous roots, not unlike the chestnut in flavour, are used as food by the natives. In the springtime a species of Brunsvigia, or Candelabra flower, sometimes covers large areas of the open country.
Great Namaqualand is not so well wooded or so well watered as Damaraland. The kokerboom is a conspicuous feature on the hills. North of Warmbad a bush formation is encountered in the vicinity of the dry river beds, with Acacia detinens, Cadaba juncea, shrubby Zygophyllaceæ, Parkinsonia Africana, and trees of Acacia horrida. Camelthorns (Acacia Giraffæ) are numerous on the higher levels. The Twagras, or Bushman grass of the Karroo, Aristida brevifolia, is a characteristic feature of the vast plains. Even when dry this grass retains its nourishing properties, and a period of two years may pass before it dies. The grey hills that border the Orange River have only a few kokerboom and chips of the Euphorbia virosa, and some straggling sickly shrubs of Bauhinia garipensis.
FOOTNOTES:
[5] “The Flora of South Africa,” Vol. I., by Rudolf Marloth.
[6] Pearson, “The Travels of a Botanist in South-West Africa”—The Geographical Journal, May, 1910.