(2) Other desert plants, mainly succulents, build up a widespread net of roots just beneath the surface. That way they absorb the moisture that forms on the surface in the morning (dew) or during a short rain shower quickly, and store it in thicker leaves or roots. These internal reservoirs allow them to survive even several dry years in a row. They normally have no real leaves.

(3) The third group are very fast growing plants that flourish only a few days after a greater rainfall, to immediately spread their seeds again. Those seeds then stay in the dry ground for years to awaken with the next rain and start the circle again. A mechanism inside the seed each time decides whether the amount of water that has fallen on it is enough to sprout or not. Those plants form the wonder of the »blooming desert«.

Plants are the true survival artists of desert and semi-desert areas. Due to their inability to move and, like animals, search for a place with better conditions, they had to develop qualities to use the available water most effectively and reduce the amount of moisture they need to survive. The Kalahari and the Namib together are the worlds oldest desert. Therefore some of the plants with the most miraculous behaviours live here. Considering the behaviour Namibias desert plants can be categorised in three major groups:

(1) Woody desert plants try to reach ground water or subsurface reservoirs with long tap-roots, that an go to a depth of more than 30m. That way they are generally independent from surface water sources and are mainly found in dried out river valleys or dips, where water gathers during rainfall and oozes into the ground. To reduce the loss of moisture through evaporation, they only have small leaves which they sometimes drop.

Population				Habitats
	Namib aloes	often		whole farm area
	Narras	often		whole farm area
	Quiver Tree	spread		Old Valley, C. Plains
	Ringwood Tree	rare		whole farm area
	Shepherd's Tree	rare		whole farm area
	Stink-Bush	spread		whole farm area
	Tall Common Corkwood	rare		whole farm area
	Water Thorn	rare		whole farm area

Population				Habitats
	Black Thorn	rare		whole farm area
	Buffalo-Thorn	rare		whole farm area
	Bushman Gras	widespread		whole farm area
	Camel Thorn	spread		whole farm area
	Common Corkwood	rare		whole farm area
	Devil's Thorn	widespread		Old Valley, Plateau
	False Ebony Tree	rare		whole farm area
	Milk Bush	widespread		Plateau