Namaqualand, traditional homeland of the Nama people, lies in the northwestern corner of South Africa. The region stretches from the Namibian border in the north, to the Olifants river in the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to Bushmanland in the east. It is arid country, and with an annual rainfall of 50-400mm almost qualifies as desert. For three quarters of the year it is hot and barren, but in winter the bulk of the precipitation arrives, partly in the form of sea fogs. Cooler temperatures mean less evaporation and with the available water comes a burst of annual plant life and intense flowering. Approximately 3,500 flowering plant species survive here and close to half of these species are endemic to the region - marking Namaqualand as one of the world's few arid biodiversity hot-spots. The diversity of life forms and strategies is truly remarkable (more on that later). Almost at the centre of Namaqualand, at the north-western tip of the Kamiesberg mountain range, lies the town of Kamieskroon or 'The Crown of Kamies'. It is here that we are based, in a disused boarding school-come-research station, perfectly positioned to access the surrounding morphotypes of Gorteria diffusa. Kamieskroon is a one horse town (without even the horse) and takes its name from a regal looking outcrop on a nearby summit. Although I personally think this rock formation looks less like a crown, and more like the fossilized deposit left by some passing canine deity.
