National Botanical Garden

We recently visited the National Botanical Garden here in Windhoek with Kelly and Tristan Powell. It's quite a lovely place where all of the different flora of the country is on display in one convenient spot. There are walking trails and a spot to picnic, so it's a wonderful place to take the kids. We've forgotten half of the names of the plants we encountered but not the impression they made on us. These plants look like they are from a period that time forgot. There's something strangely prehistoric about these specimens. Indeed, since the Namib is the oldest desert in the world and many of these are indigenous to those parts, perhaps they do harken back to prehistory. On display were quiver trees, bottle trees, and cacti of all different sorts. One of the cacti produces a milky latex that is toxic--it makes its appearance in the movie the Gods Must Be Crazy. Most of the ground plants are succulents that are well adapted to life with little to no water. In the picnic area, there are a few bird baths that draw the likes of Blue Wax Bills and South African Wagtails just to name a few. All of this is located on a hillside right in the heart of busy Windhoek. It truly represents a calm oasis from the routine of city life. (This posting is especially for you Aunt Barb. Maybe you can help us identify the plants?)