The Knersvlakte is an arid basin at the southern
extremity of Namaqualand in South Africa. I had the pleasure of visiting this
succulent rich region this past Aug-Sept., which was winter in the Southern
Hemisphere. It is approximately 50km across, and is surrounded by glittering
quartz pebbles. The annual rainfall in this dry bowl is less than 150 mm. The
vegetation of this extraordinary region is largely a special type of dwarf
succulent shrubland called vygieveld in Afrikaans. Vygies are otherwise known as
Ice plants/Mesembs to put it in simple terms. These unique quartz patches
support an array of cushion forming leaf-succulents and bulbs, with high
endemism. All species of Argyroderma, Dactylopsis, and Oophytum are only found
here. These Mesembs, or bubbles as my friend affectionately refers to them as
are beautifully adapted to the shallow soils, and high light intensities.
Typical of Mesembs many of them remain partially buried to avoid the heat, and
have developed transparent windows that allow light for photosynthesis to
penetrate into the leaves. This place is truly unique!
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| Argyroderma delaetii |
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| Argyroderma fissum |
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Argyroderma testiculare
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| Dactylopsis digitata ssp. littlewoodii |
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| Dactylopsis digitata |
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| Knersvlakte natural quartz patches |
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| Oophytum nanum |
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