What Plants Grow in the Kalahari Desert?
The Kalahari Desert in Africa stretches across parts of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. It's a semi-arid region home to a wide variety of animals and plants.
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The Facts
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The Kalahari is a harsh environment with long droughts, shifting sand and temperatures that can reach 104 degrees F on summer days.
Survival
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The extreme conditions keep certain types of plants, such as aloes, from living in the desert. One of the ways Kalahari plants adapt to these circumstances is by growing deep root structures for water and stability.
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Types
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Trees, shrubs and grasses grow throughout the Kalahari. Examples include the shepherd tree, the bastard umbrella thorn tree, the black thorn shrub, hay grass and blue grass.
Features
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The camel thorn tree is one of the most recognized Kalahari Desert plants and a vital part of the desert's ecosystem. The Hoodia cactus, known for its ability to suppress hunger, also grows in the Kalahari.
Significance
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Some Kalahari plants grow elsewhere in the world; others, such as the camel thorn tree, occur almost exclusively in the Kalahari region.
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