Knersvlakte means the ‘gnashing plain’, and it is an extensive dry region, consisting of gently rolling hills covered with white quartz pebbles. This region is located just north west of the Bokkeveld Mountains near Nieuwouldville, and the vegetation is succulent karoo and dominated by small leaf succulents.
Many plants (especialy Aizoaceae) are growing only here due to the white quartz gravel, which reflects the sunlight, and is less hot during the extremely arid summers. The dwarf and compact plants, also have an ideal form to absorb thermal heat for the short cool winter growing season when rain occurs.
The Knarsvlekte is also the southern most distribution of the quiver tree, Aloe dichotoma. On a different day, after work at the Hantam Garden, I drove north to find the quiver tree forest. They are very slow growing and had just finished flowering. The San tribes (Bushman) used the tree stems as quivers, hence the name. The place is unreal and the Aloes something else - I have never seen anything even closely like this!
4 comments:
kitsch, smchitsch. These photos are incredible! And some of those plants look very closely related to lithops. I hope you are bringing some back to Brooklyn for division and distribution! I imagine you will be back soon!
yes, very closely related. I did not see any true lithops in the wild - they are mainly further north.
wrapping up here, and will be back next week - will call if you are in town?
Those are great pictures. Now, not to cast aspersions on my history, but they certanly look similar to peyote I've (ONLY) seen in the Mexican desert. Forgive my ignorance, but are cacti succulents, too? Is that just another word for succulents. Yes, I could just google it, but I figure as long as I have the ear of an expert I should use it.
HI Dodo, did you post just after Oophytum flowered (August ?), love to know as planning trip up.
from Botany Squint
Caryn
SA
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