The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

104 SOUTH AND EAST AFIiTCA.groups, siu-li ;is tliat of tlio cvperaccn?, are seen a.s f:ir inland as the slopes of tliohills in the basins of the Great Kci and Great Fish llivers, and the country becomesmore and more verdant as we follow the coastline in the north-oast directiontowards Kafirland and Natal. The trees increase in size and the spread of theirbranches, while most of them assume a greater wealth of foliage and more brilliantblossom. In Natal no season of the year is destitute of plants in flower. Thethickets of leafy trees are here and there interspersed with two species of palm,the Phcenix rcclinafa, and another whose roots are as polished as vegetable ivory.Here also the superb Zamia cijcadifolia raises its gracefully curved fronds resemblingthe plumage of an ostrich. Although still lying far to the south of the tropicalline, the flora of this region is no longer that of the temperate zone.Beyond the coast ranges, where begin the arid plateaux rarelj- watered by thelife-giving rains, the asjDect of the vegetable world suddenly changes. Here weenter the botanic region of the Karroos, which is sharply limited towards thesouth and south-east, but less clearly defined on the west and north-west in thedirection ofthe Namaqua plateau, and on the north towards the deserts traversedby the Orange River. The zone of the Karroos is destitute of trees, and even ofshrubs, with the exception of the clonihoom or " thorn-tree " of the Dutch settlers,a species of acacia {Acacia Jiorrida) which fringes the banks of the wadys. Neitherthe heaths nor many other families characteristic of the Cape flora have penetratedinto the Karroos, where leguminous jDlants are also extremely rare.But the Barbaryfig, after overrunning the plains of the Cape, is now encroaching on thenorthern upland plateaux, notwithstanding the efforts to extirpate it roimd aboutthe farmsteads.This arid region aboimds especially in thorny species, to all of which mightwell be applied the term "wait-a-bit," given to one variety of acacia {Acaciadeieneiis), because the unguarded waj-farer often finds himself suddenly arrestedby its sharp spines. About one-third of the whole flora comprises such plantsbelonging to the Cape region as have succeeded in adapting themselves to the dryclimate of the Karroo by means of their succulent roots, stems, and foliage. Theplains and the heights dominating them are usually of a uniform grey coloiu', butafter the rains Nature suddenly assumes a festive garb.The stunted plants burstinto blossom in all directions, and the ground becomes draped in an endlesslydiversified mantle of j'ellow, blue, and purj^le bloom. But this bright array is ofshort duration, and the vegetation soon resumes its sombre ashy aspect. Hereare numerous monocotyledonous species, which never blossom for years together,lacking the favourable conditions oflight, moisture, and heat needed to stimulatetheir florescence.North of the highlands which border the Karroo, and which are remarkablyrich in compound species, stretches the zone of steppes and deserts, to which isgenerally applied the term Kalahari, although it really begins south of the OrangeEivor below the region so named. In its more fertile districts, the Kalahari presentsthe aspect of a savannah of tall grasses growing in isolated tufts and interspersedwith a few stunted shrubs.In the northern districts it is occupied by open forests