This area contains plants from the dry Northern Cape. The Richtersveld can be described as South Africa's mountain desert on the border with Namibia. Here, one will see the halfmens, or half-man, Pachypodium namaquensis. The heads of these spectacular plants all face northward, as if looking towards the land from which they came!

Other interesting plants include Aloe pillansii, (giant quiver tree), a scarce plant that comes from one small area in the Richtersveld. Another strange plant, the Aloe ramosissima, (maidens quiver tree), has a roughly sculptured bark that gives it an eerie appearance. There are also beautiful flowering pelargoniums, shrubs, and bulbs. Each plant has its own fascinating tactic for surviving in this ancient mountain desert kingdom.

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