Namibia’s Strange and Wonderful Plants: A Botanical Marvel of the Desert
Damara Milk-Bush: Beauty with Danger
Not all remarkable is benign. The Damara milk-bush (Euphorbia damarana) is slender and grey, but its toxic milky latex is infamous across Namibia for its ability to kill livestock and harm humans.
Wikipedia+1 A reminder that survival in the desert is seldom simple, this plant couples haunting beauty with serious hazard—another twist in Namibia’s botanical tapestry.
Namibia’s Strange and Wonderful Plants: A Botanical Marvel of the Desert
Namibia’s Strange and Wonderful Plants: A Botanical Marvel of the Desert
Damara Milk-Bush: Beauty with Danger
Not all remarkable is benign. The Damara milk-bush (Euphorbia damarana) is slender and grey, but its toxic milky latex is infamous across Namibia for its ability to kill livestock and harm humans.
Wikipedia+1 A reminder that survival in the desert is seldom simple, this plant couples haunting beauty with serious hazard—another twist in Namibia’s botanical tapestry.
Elephants-Trunk Plant: When Succulents Stand Tall
Another desert marvel is Pachypodium namaquanum—nicknamed the “elephant’s trunk” plant for its thick, spiny stem crowned by a rosette of leaves.
Amusing Planet Standing up to ten feet tall, this succulent plant may look fierce and alien, but it’s perfectly suited to Namibia’s harsh environment. Its spines, compact form and water-storage adaptations make it a true desert survivor. Above
Photo credit: Derek Keats/Flickr
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Elephants-Trunk Plant: When Succulents Stand Tall
The Quiver Tree: Nature’s Arrow-Maker
One of the most iconic of Namibia’s desert plants is the quiver tree (Aloidendron dichotomum). At first glance its tubular branches, which the San people historically hollowed out to make arrow-quivers, give the impression of roots reaching skyward—creating the illusion of an upside-down tree. Amusing Planet+2Wikipedia+2 Towering in chalky white bark and sculptural form, quiver trees often stand in groves like the famous Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop. They’ve been declared a national monument and many of its specimens are centuries old. Wikipedia+1 It’s no wonder the tree features in local folklore: true to myth, it is said that digging up a quiver tree will lead to diamonds—a lucky legend that ensures its protection more than any law.
Photo credit: Sonse/Flickr
Photo credit: Bobby Bradley/Flickr
Photo credit: Judith/Flickr
Photo credit: Martin Heigan/Flickr
Photo credit: Curtis Simmons/Flickr
Welwitschia: The Living Fossil of the Desert
Even more extraordinary is Welwitschia mirabilis, sometimes called the “living fossil” of the Namib Desert. This weird plant grows just two leaves—yes, only two—but those leaves live for hundreds or even thousands of years, continually widening, splitting, and curling across the ground. Amusing Planet+1 Some specimens have been dated to over 1,500 years old. The leaves may grow slowly, but the story of their endurance is immense. Welwitschia survives by capturing moisture from coastal fog and using underground roots to tap hidden water supplies, enabling existence in one of the driest habitats on Earth. Above Photo credit: Geir K. Edland/Flickr Welwitschia: The Living Fossil of the Desert
Welwitschia: The Living Fossil of the Desert
Welwitschia: The Living Fossil of the Desert
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Photo credit: Sonse/Flickr
Photo credit: Bobby Bradley/Flickr
Photo credit: Judith/Flickr
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