The curious Naras, _Acanthosicyos horrida_, has been well termed the “Wonder of the Waste,” for this shrubby, leafless member of the order _Cucurbitacea_ spreads over the sand dunes in dense straggling masses, defying all the sandstorms that threaten to bury it. Instead of tendrils it bears sharp thorns, while the main root may be as thick as a man’s arm, with a length of 20 to 40 feet. The fruit is about the size of a very big orange, and the skin encloses a yellow pulp of a rich flavour and a number of seeds similar in taste to almonds. The fruit is greatly relished by the natives, and, as it has extraordinary nutritive value, they almost live on it. The seeds are stored for the dry season, when no fruit can be obtained. The existence of this plant always indicates underground moisture. Both the Welwitschia and the Naras flourish in the vicinity of Walvis Bay, but the Naras has been found in recent years in several places in the southern Namib. It is believed that the species does not occur naturally so far south, but has been introduced by natives. Its true southern limit is not far from the southern extremity of Walvis Bay.[6] In the region described as the Upper Kuisip Zone, which embraces the valley of the Kuisip, among the fairly abundant vegetation, with camelthorns, ebony trees, and wild figs, the handsome Ana tree, _Acacia albida_, is found. The fruit of this remarkable tree is a legume. The beans, when ripe and dry, are used for fodder for cattle, and they have extraordinary fattening properties. Cattle also relish the leaves of the tree. The flora of the desert south of Luderitzbucht is much poorer than that of the northern portion, and, as Schinz points out, the difference is probably accounted for by the presence of a more copious supply of underground water in the northern area. But the Namib has a richer vegetation than is generally supposed. “As an illustration,” writes Dr. Marloth, who made a careful examination of the Lower Namib in 1909, “it may be mentioned that I have observed over twenty species of _Mesembrianthemum_, five species of _Pelargonium_ (mostly shrubby), two of _Sarcocaulon_, three of _Lycium_, two of _Zygophyllum_, two of _Salsola_, three of _Othonna_, five shrubby Leguminosæ (_Lebeckia_ and _Crotalaria_), five species of _Euphorbia_, and many other genera represented by one or two species.”[7] He distinguishes four formations according to the nature of the ground: the seashore, the sandy plains, the rocky hills, and the gravel-covered flats of the rising plains beyond the coast-belt; and we cannot do better than adopt his convenient division. _The seashore._--The sand dunes are devoid of vegetation on account of the ever-shifting nature of the sand, and they present an unforgettable scene of sterility and dreariness. A few plants specially adapted to salt water, such as _Salicornia natalensis_ and _Bassia diffusa_, are found in the shallows or around the lagoons.