South Africa is home to numerous impressive plants, ranging from vibrant spring flowers to ancient trees. However, if one looks beyond the obvious, they can discover a stranger side of the country's flora: plants resembling humans, stones, elephant feet, or even extraterrestrial formations.
Many of these botanical rarities have developed amazing survival methods in some of the harshest landscapes of southern Africa. Moreover, observing them can be an adventure that takes travelers deep into the Northern Cape, Karoo, and across the border into Namibia.
Below are some of the most peculiar plants worth noting and the places where they can be found.
Human-like Plants
Few plants have as intriguing a name as the hafnens, or Pachypodium namaquanum. Its tall cylindrical spiny stem and crown of leaves can give the impression of a standing human figure against a desert landscape. The name translates to 'half-man,' inspired by the silhouette of this plant. In Richterveld, the Nama people consider these humanoid plants to be embodiments of their ancestors.
The hafnens is adapted to extremely dry, rocky slopes, where its roots sprout between boulders and in rock crevices. It is also one of the region's most vulnerable botanical treasures: SANBI currently classifies it as critically endangered, with threats including drought, habitat degradation, and illegal collection.
The best place to encounter it is the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld cross-border park, where SANParks specifically recommends driving through the Hafmens Pass to spot these unusual succulents. This location is where the plants are only part of the attraction; the rugged mountains, lava formations, Orange River, and vast desert scenery lend the trip an almost otherworldly feel.
Living Stones and Other Oddities
At first glance, Lithops looks like nothing more than a small stone. These tiny succulents have thick fleshy leaves arranged almost at ground level, allowing them to blend in with the surrounding rocks. They are found naturally in drier areas of South Africa and Namibia, making them one of the most remarkable examples of botanical camouflage in South Africa.
However, these living stones are becoming increasingly vulnerable. The rare Lithops werneri from Namibia, found only in a small area of the Erongo Mountains, is critically endangered, with fewer than 200 specimens believed to remain in the wild. Its small population has suffered due to illegal collection, drought, and climate change.
For travelers, the conclusion is simple: these miniature plants are best admired without disturbing them. In South Africa, lithops should be sought in the arid western regions of the country, especially in Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo.
Although it may be called an elephant foot, Dioscorea elephantipes looks more like a giant piece of cracked stone. Its swollen underground and above-ground stem is covered in deeply fissured bark, giving it the appearance of a huge tortoise shell or an elephant's foot. SANBI describes it as one of the country's 'strange and wonderful' caudiciform plants.
This plant has another clever survival mechanism. It enters a dormant state during the hot, dry summer, shedding its leaves to conserve energy, and then begins to grow again in cooler months. It withstands temperatures above 40°C, as well as occasional sub-zero temperatures.
Its natural range includes parts of the Western and Eastern Cape, including the Clanwilliam area, as well as the vicinity of Graaff-Reinet, Willowmore, and Uniondale. This makes it an excellent addition to a trip through the Karoo or Cederberg, especially for those who enjoy searching for small details hidden in large landscapes.
Quiver trees (Aloidendron dichotomum) with their thick trunks and branching crowns look almost like giant plants from another world. Their Afrikaans name, kokerboom, and English name, quiver tree, comes from the traditional use of their hollows to make arrow quivers. They are particularly associated with the arid landscapes of the Northern Cape and Namibia. In Richterveld, they rise sharply from the rocky terrain, and places like Kokerboomkloof have become memorable stops for visitors exploring the region.
Quiver trees also tell a more worrying story. Studies conducted under SANParks supervision have revealed a significant decline in some northern populations linked to rising temperatures and drought, although southern populations show different trends. Thus, observing a quiver tree in the wild offers more than just a good photograph; it is a glimpse into how a changing climate is transforming even the most resilient desert landscapes.
Hoodia may look like an ordinary spiny succulent from a distance, but its story is far from ordinary. Hoodia gordonii is found in parts of the Northern Cape, northwestern Western Cape, and southern Namibia. It is adapted to hot, dry conditions and can grow in Kalahari sand soils as well as on rocky slopes.
Its flowers are particularly strange. They can reach about 7.5 cm in diameter and emit a smell reminiscent of rotting meat, which is an adaptation related to their fly pollinators. Hoodia also has a significant traditional and cultural history. San communities have long used Hoodia species, including as a thirst quencher and appetite suppressant. Commercial interest in the plant subsequently raised important questions about traditional knowledge, benefit sharing, and sustainable trade. This is another reminder that desert plants are not just curiosities, but part of much older relationships between people and the landscape.
South African Baobabs are not a miniature curiosity, but rather a botanical giant. The enormous trunk and thick branches of the baobab give it the appearance of a tree growing upside down, inspiring legends across Africa. Some mature trunks can reach extraordinary sizes, and the tree itself can grow up to 25 meters high. In South Africa, Adansonia digitata grows naturally in warmer Limpopo regions, where it thrives in hot, dry woodland. Its flowers are another spectacle. Large white buds open in the afternoon and last about a day before developing into fruit. The flowers are pollinated at night, mainly by frugivorous bats. For travelers, baobabs add a completely different landscape to this botanical journey. Instead of the harsh Succulent Karoo of the Northern Cape, the search moves north to the warmer Limpopo bushveld.
Strictly speaking, Welwitschia does not belong to the list of South African plants. But when discussing the strangest plants of South Africa, it is impossible to ignore it. Welwitschia mirabilis is endemic to the Namib Desert and has only two leaves that continue to grow throughout its life. Wind and heat gradually tear them into long, tangled ribbons, giving mature plants an almost octopus-like appearance. Some plants are thought to live for centuries; the Namibian tourism authority describes Welwitschia as a living fossil, capable of surviving over 1000 years. The Welwitschia plains, located about 30–50 km from Swakopmund, contain one of the highest concentrations of these remarkable plants. For travelers from South Africa, this presents an exciting addition to a trip through the Northern Cape: crossing the border into Namibia and continuing into the Namib Desert to see one of the world's most unusual plants in its natural habitat.
One does not need to be a serious botanist to embark on a journey around these plants. Start in the Western Cape, where the Cederberg and Karoo landscapes offer opportunities to encounter unusual succulents, such as the elephant foot. From there, move north into Namaqualand and the Northern Cape, where the landscape becomes increasingly arid, and the botanical oddities become even more impressive. Continue towards the Richtersveld for hafnens and quiver trees, while keeping an eye out for tiny lithops among the rocks. If you have time and the necessary border crossing arrangements, continue into Namibia for the final act: Welwitschia, growing across the Namib Desert. For a lighter introduction before heading out into the field, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden also has exhibits featuring plants from the Namaqua and Richtersveld regions, including hafnens and quiver trees. It is important to admire wild plants without disturbing them. Some of the species presented here are threatened by illegal collection, and protected areas have suffered from succulent poaching.