THE "INARAS." ACANTHOSIOYOS HORRIDA HOOK. 



By R. Marloth, Ppt.D., M.A. 



[Read October 27th, 1886.] 



Amongst the large number of curious plants which Southern 

 Africa has produced are two most remarkable ones, which occur in 

 the neighbourhood of Walfish Bay. The one, Welwitschia ?nirabilisy 

 the " Tumboa " of the natives, was discovered some twenty-live years 

 ago by Welwitsch. The other plant, the first specimens of which 

 were brought to Europe by the same traveller, is our present subject, 

 the Naras, or more correctly pronounced ! Naras,* Acaiithosioyos 

 horrida. Welwitsch found both plants much more north than 

 Walfish Bay, a little south of Mossamedes, and realizing at once 

 the scientific value of his discovery with respect to the first plant, 

 he took care to collect a good number of complete specimens. 



With the Naras, however, he must have been less lucky in his 

 findings. There are only incomplete specimens in his collections 

 and the description of the plant, published in Oliver's " Flora of 

 Central Africa" does therefore not mention some important character- 

 istics of it. I shall spare you, of course, the botanical diagnosis of the 

 plant, and deal here only with its external habit and its value to 

 the natives in the neighbourhood of Walfish Bay.f 



Besides a few spots near to the Capes Cross and Frio, the Naras 

 grows almost exclusively in the angle formed by the lower Kuisib- 

 and the coast. There is little doubt that this river formerly entered 

 the sea at Sandwich harbour, but the advancing sand dunes barred 

 its way and compelled its waters to flow more northward, whenever 

 It happened that flowing water came down so far ; an event some- 

 times unknown for more than twenty-five years. Although there 

 is very rarely ope7i water in the lower course of the river, its sandy 

 bed contains always the precious liquid some depth under the surface,, 

 and a portion of this water forces its way underneath the sand dunes 



* The ! ind^icates the palatal click of the Namaqua language. 



t For fuller information see the author's monograph of the plant in Engler^ Botanische 

 Jahrbucher, Vol. IX. 



