VEGETATION OF SOUTHERN NAMIB. . 85 



One of the most regularly appearing shrubs of the rocky parts 

 of the Namib is Ectadiiim virgatum, which bears very leathery, 

 lanceolate leaves and scented yellow flowers, haunted at night 

 time by various moths. 



Incidentally I may mention that animal life is not as scarce 

 in these desert regions as one generally thinks. Hares and ante- 

 lopes, especially the little steinbok and the gemsbok are not un- 

 common, jackals abound, hyaenas are met with, and on the inland 

 plains one may see troops of springbok and ostriches. Flowers 

 are visited by various butterflies, among them the handsome 

 Pyramis cardui, and small moths are very numerous, but a few 

 larger ones are also fairly frequent and easily caught at night 

 time near the camp fire. 



Of small succulents observed by me I may mention Crassula 

 lycopodioides and C. deltoidea, and as a special type two stapelioid 

 plants, viz. : the small and smooth Trichocanlon cacti for me, and a 

 large Hoodia, which is pe haps H. Gordonii. both occurring near 

 the coast as well as further inland, e.g., on ttte Kovies and 

 Tschaukaib mountains. 



The gravel plains. — After crossing the rocky coast-strip and the 

 sand dunes East of Angra Pequena, one reaches the rising plains 

 of the inner Namib, which, at a distance of 40 miles from the coast, 

 attain an altitude of nearly 1,800 feet. These plains are swept 

 by southerly gales laden with sand, and hence, in this respect, 

 resemble the coastlands, but being visited by sea fogs either rarely 

 or not at all, they are more barren, for the fogs of the sea supply 

 a considerable amount of moisture to the plants of the coastbelt. 

 Some of the plants are capable of absorbing moisture bj^ aerial 

 organs ; such are Salsola zeyheri, Mesembriantkemum funbriatimi 

 and M. Marlothii, but most others utilise only what has soaked into 

 the ground. The quantity of such water is quite considerable, for 

 the fogs are so heavy that the sand is often moistened to a ciepth 

 of an inch or two, while at the basis of virgate shrubs, like Ectadiinn 

 or Leheckia, sufficient water flows down along the stem in a single 

 night to moisten the ground to a depth of six inches. On the 

 more remote plains, however, this source of moisture is practically 

 absent, hence they are more barren than any other part of the 

 country and any other part of South Africa, the moving sand dunes 

 perhaps excepted. Often one may search in vain for any trace of 

 organic life, not even a lichen being visible on the stones nor a 

 fly humming about in the air. For miles and miles tliere is no- 

 thing but sand and gravel, the detritus of crumbling rocks, which 

 still project here and there from the accumulating material, that 

 is graduafly burying them. Yet occasionally even such tracts 

 have been invaded by a specially adapted and wonderfully hardy 

 plant, viz. : Sarcocaidon Biirmanni. Its bark consists of numer- 

 ous layers of thin-walled, corky tissue, which is highly impreg- 

 nated with a mixture of wax, fat and resin, thus forming an abso- 

 lutely, impervious covering of stem and branches. This hard 

 and horny casing enables the plant to brave the fiercest sun and 

 the terrible standstorms of the gravel-covered desert, hence it 

 thrives even in these parts of the Namib, where no other plant 



