Botanizing in southern Namibia and Richtersveld National Park, South Africa

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Tuesday, January 21st, 2020
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

BOTANY NIGHT

How I Spent My Summer Holidays (with apologies to W.O. Mitchell)—three weeks of botanizing in southern Namibia and Richtersveld National Park, South Africa. In August and September 2019, Mark Fraker accompanied two botanists for an exploration of the plant life of southern Namibia, including Fish River Canyon, and Richtersveld National Park in South Africa’s Northern Cape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This region is the source of a number of our cultivated ornamental plants, such as members of the genera Pelargonium, Osteospermum, Nemesia, and Gladiolus. In this talk, Mark will describe their travels, with a focus on species of particular interest, such as Kissenia capensis, Welwitchia mirabilis, aloes, and quiver trees. A highly unusual flora, with a large proportion of endemics, has developed in this extremely arid and forbidding environment.

Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature House, 7:30 p.m.

Everyone welcome.