When working with Gorteria populations, we adopt a hang-dog pose, scouring the surroundings for suitable specimens, and then crouching over the individual plants with lens and ruler. We are often close to the ground, but then so are many of the plants in Namaqualand. If you leave the Kamiesberg mountains, head west through Spektakle Pass and descend eight hundred metres, you reach the coastal plains. Here, the winds whistle straight off the Atlantic and the crystalline soils are baked and cooled by severe shifts in temperature. Plants on the coastal plain hug the ground, with beautiful strategies to cope in this environment. The left hand photo illustrates a species of Dorotheanthus. Each individual comprises just four tiny leaves and a single flower, its entire life cycle completed almost without casting a shadow. The central photo is of a 'curly-whirly', a bizarre leaf shape that is common in Namaqualand. Functioning as both a condenser and water slide, the leaf traps moisture from sea fogs and funnels it back to the plant's roots. And on the right, most likely some species of Oxalis. A miniature succulent that lacks the trifoliate condition, it is a far cry from our British native, Oxalis acetosella. To me it looks like a column of baby velociraptors clamouring for some regurgitated morsel. Or for a bit of maternal affection perhaps. But out on the coastal plains this seedling is very much on its own.
