Kaokoland was an administrative unit and a bantustan in northern South West Africa. Established during the apartheid era, it was intended to be a self-governing homeland of the OvaHimba, but an actual government was never established. Like other homelands in South West Africa, the Kaokoland bantustan was abolished in May 1989, at the beginning of the transition of Namibia towards independence. "Kaokoland" remains as an informal name for the geographic area, while the political unit of administration since 1990 is Kunene Region. The area is in the Kaokoveld ecoregion.
Euphorbia milii, the crown of thorns, Christ plant, or Christ thorn, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. It is imagined that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Christ. It is commonly used as an ornamental houseplant that can be grown in warmer climates. The common name is due to the thorns and deep red bracts referring to the crown thorn Jesus had to wear during his crucifixion and his blood.
Anthyllis vulneraria, the common kidneyvetch, kidney vetch or woundwort is a medicinal plant native to Europe. The name vulneraria means "wound healer".
Euphorbia misera is a semi-succulent shrub in the genus Euphorbia commonly known as the cliff spurge or coast spurge. A drought-deciduous shrub, it is typically found as a gnarled, straggly plant occupying seashore bluffs, hills and deserts. Like other members of its genus, it has a milky sap, which can be found exuding out of the light gray bark when damaged. The alternately-arranged leaves are round and folded in the middle, with small hairs on them. The "flowers" can be found blooming year-round, and are colored maroon or yellow in the center with 5 white to light-yellow petal-like appendages attached outside. This species is native to the Baja California peninsula and Sonora in Mexico, and the coast of southern California in the United States, where it is a rare species. It is threatened in some localities by the development of its coastal habitat, which tends to be prime locations for high-end residential and commercial developments.
Aloe hereroensis is an African Aloe native to Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Like other Aloe species, it forms a rosette of succulent, lanceolate, greyish-green leaves with teeth along their edges. These leaves can grow up to 40 cm long. A. hereroensis forms large inflorescences, up to 1 meter high, with clusters of scarlet flowers.
Astragalus didymocarpus is a species of milkvetch known by the common names Dwarf white milkvetch and Two-seeded milkvetch. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it can be found in many types of habitat.
Euphorbia nutans is a species of Euphorbia known by the common names eyebane and nodding spurge. It is native to much of the United States, Eastern Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Venezuela.
Euphorbia prostrata is a species of spurge known by the common name prostrate spurge or prostrate sandmat.
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, the purple gromwell, is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus Lithospermum, belonging to the family Boraginaceae.
Euphorbia stygiana is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Euphorbiaceae, endemic to several islands of the Azores. It has a critically endangered subspecies with only 20 known remaining mature individuals in the wild.
Eugenia petrikensis is a species of flowering plants belonging to the genus Eugenia and was described in 2012 by Neil Snow and coauthors. It is a large shrub with magenta-coloured flowers and was discovered from Toliara Province at the eastern shoreline of Madagascar. It is one of the seven novel species of Eugenia described from the region, in addition to E. guajavoides, E. manonae, E. stictophylla, E. roseopetiolata and E. stibephylla. It is an endangered species according to the IUCN Red List. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the area, Petriky, from where it was discovered.
Sabinaria magnifica is a species of palm tree and the only member of the genus Sabinaria. Native to the Darién Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama, it grows from 1 to 6 metres tall with large, deeply-divided leaf blades. It has been described as "striking", "spectacular" and "beautiful" by taxonomists.
Pedioplanis gaerdesi, known commonly as the Kaokoland sand lizard, the Kaokoveld sand lizard, and Mayer's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.
Pimelea axiflora, commonly known as bootlace bush, is a small shrub in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small shrub with whitish flowers on mostly smooth stems.
The Baynes Mountains are a mountain range in Namibia.
Abrus kaokoensis is a plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to Namibia. The species is named for the country's Kaokoveld Desert.
Nematolepis ovatifolia, is a small shrub with rusty coloured scales on the stems, smooth, glossy leaves and white flowers in small clusters in summer. It is endemic to New South Wales.
Otholobium curtisiae is a small spreading shrub assigned to the Pea family. All green parts are covered in hairs and urn-like glands. It has many woody stems, small and somewhat succulent, dark green alternately set clover-like leaves and heads consisting of 3-9 white, pea-like flowers on very short peduncles in the axils of the leaves. This species is an endemic of the Overberg area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It mostly flowers in August and September.
Crassothonna agaatbergensis is a species of the genus Crassothonna in the family Asteraceae, and is found only in the northern part of the Skeleton Coast in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, northwestern Namibia.
Hypericum elodeoides, commonly called the Himalayan St. John's Wort, is a species of flowering plant of the St. John's wort family (Hypericaceae).
