Strumaria bidentata, treasure in the desert

Imagine coming across a flower like this in a desert of barren sand. Strumaria bidentata is restricted to a dune area of the northwestern Richtersveld and similar land on the Namibian side of the Gariep.

When it flowers, the leaves are not yet there. This erect stalk topped by the umbel is all that is witnessed when the plant blooms.

The experience must be, even for someone in good physical condition and not dying of thirst or seeing mirages, as bizarre and dreamlike as stumbling upon the Koh-I-Noor or the Cullinan diamond in the middle of nowhere!

For those valuing the floral rarities of nature, field trips that yield such treasure make memories to last a lifetime.

(There are more photos of this plant in the Bulbs Album under Types.)