Oxalis
Pelargonium
Oxalis
Oxalis
Pelargonium
Kokerboom

Tree aloe

A huge variety of aloes grow throughout southern Africa. Some are adapted to winter rains and some to summer rains, some to damp and others to drought. They all produce flowers varying from light yellow to deep red which are laden with nectar and attract the sunbirds which probably do most of the pollinating.

Aloes are not endemic to Namaqualand but there are many in Namaqualand that are also common to the north in Namibia. This is an example, the tree aloe or Kokerboom (quiver tree).

The dead branches are easily hollowed and very light; very suitable for carrying arrows.The trunks are, or were, made into traditional houses by the Nama shown on the previous page.

The yellow Bulbinella on page 1 is also an aloe

Above, one of the many pelargoniums - I think P. incrassatum. Left looks and smells like a pelargonium but I think it is Sutera tomentosa of the Nemesia family
Varieties of oxalis were everywhere where it was a bit shady and damp. On the left is Rock Sorel. Above, right and below are, I think, three different colours of the common Oxalis obtusa
Rooipoppie

Rooipoppies, Hyobanche sanguinea, a curious little parasitic plant that is just s bunch of red flowers that are apparently sweet to eat.

(I googled this Afrikaans name and came upon only one entry. Someone told me this entitled me to a prize. When google picks this up, I suppose there will be two.)

Androcymbium
Strange white flowers low on the ground in wet soil. Androcymbium capense, of the autumn crocus family. This variety is apparently more common to the south in Fynbos country while the Namaqua ones are yellow.
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Oxalis
Romulea
Another iris; Possibly Romulea pearsonii. but I'm not at all sure. Its one of 12 species of Romulea growing here, several ofof which look rather like this