Strange Plants

We recently visited the furthest town to the North you can reach on the West Coast of South Africa. This place is literally only one to two hundred kilometers away from the Namibian border. The vegetation in this area is rather unique for a number of reasons. The climate is dry desert with very little rainfall. Winters are cold as the coast is battered by winter stroms and cold fronts. Summers get exceedingly hot as dry catabatic bergwinds sometimes blow toward this area, sucking every last drop of moisture from the soil. Luckily, there is one particular even here that makes life possible. Cold air in the form of a ocean breeze blows from the cold Atlantic over the warm land and immediately causes mist and fog. This fog often hugs the ground and droplets of water can get left behind on the plants. This is a vital source of water for these xerophytic plants which are adapted to gathering and saving the sparse little water there is. The specific plant in the attached photo has not been identified, but it is incredibly similar to one growing in my own succulent collection at home. It’s thick purple coloured leaves create a stark contrast with the thorns of the scrubland surrounding it. What a journey to take. Well worth the visit.