Wild flowers of the Northern Namib, by Antje Burke

Wild flowers of the Northern Namib, by Antje Burke. Namibia Scientific Society; 2nd edition. Windhoek, Namibia 2009; ISBN 9991640533 / ISBN 99916-40-53-3

Images from Antje Burkes's plant guide, Wild flowers of the Northern Namib. ISBN 9991640533 / ISBN 99916-40-53-3

Wild flowers of the Northern Namib is one of several flora guides to the Namib regions and are written by expert botanist Antje Burke.

Antje Burke  

Environment and habitats

The northern Namib stretches from the Huab River northwards to Namibe, approximately 250 km into Angola. Access to Angola's share of the Namib Desert is limited and little is known about the plants living there, hence this guide focuses on the Namib Desert between the ephemeral Huab River in the south and the perennial Kunene River in the north. The area nestles between the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the escarpment in the east. The northern Namib is an arid area, punctuated with prominent mountains and crossed by numerous, westward-flowing and mainly ephemeral rivers. In many ways similar to the central Namib, it provides habitats of vast gravel plains, dry river courses and drainage lines, as well as rocky outcrops and mountains rising from a few to several hundred metres above the plains. Locally confined habitats related to water sources and soil conditions dot this vast landscape - saline springs, pans, patches of gypsum and calcrete hardpan, as well as pockets of small, mobile dunes along the main river courses. Towards the coast and the north, dunes and sandplain habitats dominate. There are two dune fields in the northern Namib, one along the coast south of Möwe Bay, and another just north of Torra Bay. Unique in Namibia is the landscape that developed from the volcanic Etendeka lavas. Now broken up by many millions of years of erosion, prominent flat-topped mountains and hundreds of isolated mesas dot the landscape between the Huab and Hoanib rivers, and to the north of the Hoarusib River. This area, colloquially known as Damaraland, boasts breathtaking landscapes roamed by a variety of game which is unparalleled in other parts of the country. One permanently flowing river - the Kunene - and numerous western-flowing, ephemeral rivers, including the Huab, Koigab, Uniab, Hoanib, Hoarusib and Khumib, are the lifeline of the northern Namib. With their large stands of riparian forest, seepage areas and springs, they provide food, water and shelter for a host of animals. The northern Namib is a very dry place. From the coast to the escapement average rainfall ranges from 0 to 100 mm per annum – rainfall is also unpredictable highly variable and patchy. The amount of rain a particular spot receives every year can range from nothing to well over 100 mm. The chance of good rains becomes slimmer as one moves westwards towards the coast. Here, fog provides a much more reliable source of moisture. As in the central Namib, the fog belt stretches between 20 and 30 km inland from the coast, and occasionally reaches much further inland. Contrasting hot and cold layers of air associated with a high-pressure system over the southern Atlantic Ocean, and the cold, northward-flowing Benguela Current are responsible for the Namib Desert’s aridity, as well as the formation of life-giving fog. This system, however, also creates a pronounced coast–inland gradient with respect to humidity and temperature. Humidity is high at the coast and temperatures are moderate, with an annual average temperature at a comfortable 16C. Further inland, toward the escarpment, temperatures are higher, with the annual average at 20°C and the average maximum 30°C. Humidity, in contrast, decreases when moving inland and away from the coast. [...]

This is an excerpt from the book: Wild flowers of the Northern Namib, by Antje Burke.

Title: Wild flowers of the Northern Namib
Author: Antje Burke
Publisher: Namibia Scientific Society
2nd edition. Windhoek, Namibia 2009
ISBN 9991640533 / ISBN 99916-40-53-3
Softcover, 15x21 cm, 112 pages, numerous colour photos