The camels of the plant world
Mar 02, 2020
3 minutes
PHOTOS BEN-ERIK VAN WYK, GIDEON SMITH AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE
INSTITUTE
ILLUSTRATIONS
MARIETJIE STEYN
About 4% of the flowering plants of the world – an estimated 12 500 species – are succulents that use their fleshy leaves, stems and/or roots as an adaptive strategy to overcome brief or prolonged periods of drought.
More than a third of these plants – well over 4 500 species – come from Southern Africa, where it forms about 25% of its flora. This succulent wealth of all shapes, sizes and descriptions is distributed
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