Schwantesia herrei

Schwantesia herrei grows a dense tuft of leaves flat on the ground in almost no soil from a crack in quartzite, sandstone or granite rock. These plants produce solitary yellow flowers in their bare habitat that lies in the extreme north-west of the Richtersveld and just across the Gariep in southern Namibia.

These little mesembs grow on lower slopes, not on the brows of the hills. There are about eight Schwantesia species, all thickly succulent, some with a few marginal leaf teeth; all have yellowish flowers. All the Schwantesia species occur in the arid land close to the Gariep in the Richtersveld, Bushmanland and the Namib Desert.

It is remarkable how diversified the plant life is in this desolate part of the world. The harder youre pushed, the more ingenuity is generated. Although balanced on a knife edge, this is an ecology that deserves respect and should not be interfered with. The Richtersveld has over 850 recorded plant species, 30 of them endemic to the region (Williamson, 2010; Smith, et al, 1998; iSpot).