ELAINE HALUTE

GRADE 9
PROJECT: !NARA PLANT

INTRODUCTION
In the vast Namib Desert of Namibia, you will find the !Nara plant or Acanthosicyos horridus. The
plant’s name comes from the Nama and Damara languages of Namibia. It is pale green in colour and is
mainly a shrub, which has no leaves but boasts blooming stunning yellow-to-green flowers.

This plant’s robust thorns protect it from many browsers. Photosynthesis takes place within these
thorns and the stem as it has no leaves.

The plant is dioecious, meaning the female and male flowers are on separate plants. The flowers
of the female plant have a small swell right below its petals, whereas the flower of the male plant
produces striking wax-like yellow-to-green flowers.

Fruits of the plant are spiky melons which are harvested between January to April. They are
about 15 centimeters in diameter and weigh on average 1 kilogram. These melons grow between
the spiky stems and are highly nutritious, as seeds contain oil and protein.
ADVANTAGES
It is also a remarkable thirst-quencher with a refreshing sweet juicy flavour. It can also be cooked to a
pulp as well as eaten as a fruit.
It is said that a infusion of the root may help for arthritis.
Fresh pulp relieves stomach ache, decoction of roots used as ''life-elixir'' to cure internal diseases, crushed
roots mixed with an oil is smeared on wounds to fasten healing, oil from raw or roasted seeds used to
moisturize skin and serves as protection against the sun.
The cold pressed oil contains excellent antioxidants, Omega-6 essential fatty acids as well as vitamins. It
is also highly permeable as it moves the essential antioxidants, vitamins and moisture within the hydro
lipid layer that covers the skin in order to re-hydrate and restore sensitive skin. Hence, the oil’s essential
fatty acids and vitamins are the perfect aid for those with sensitive and dry skin.
The oil can also be used as sun screen, massage and tissue lubricant, or to sooth scalps and stimulate
healthy hair growth. And with its distinctive and pleasant smell it can be used as food oil, whether in
salads or as a vinaigrette to drizzle over your favorite dishes.

DISADVANTAGE
Great damage is done to the plants during the process of harvesting. Due to this damage, plants can no
longer yield to their maximum capacity as plants aren't given enough time to recover
REFERENCES
Photos: S. Hümmer Dentlinger, U. (1977). The !Nara plant in the Topnaar-Hottentot culture of Namibia:
ethnobotanical clues to an 8 000 year-old tradition .
Desert Hills. (n.d.). Brochure !Nara Oil. Swakopmund, Namibia: !NARA NAMIBIA DESERT GOLD
RANGE. Irish, J. (2019, Nov). Namibia Biodiversity Database Web Sit

CONCLUSION
The most concerning, are the potential impacts that the anthropogenic climate change could have on !
nara.
The rising global temperatures could restrict the condensation of fog only to higher altitudes – where !
nara does not grow. Fog water, and ground water are the only two effective water sources for !nara, and it
is quickly losing access to both.
The Kuiseb delta contains the largest population of !Nara, and the Topnaar people are particularly
dependent on the !Nara plant. Although this dependency has diminished over the last few decades, it is
still vital to their survival. The life of the Topnaar will most certainly be jeopardized if the deterioration in
the !Nara continues, and the harvest has already been reduced by half over the last 30 years. The Kuiseb
River experienced large-scale flooding 16 times over the past 160 years. However, in the last 50 years,
only one large flood reached the Kuiseb delta. Instances of flood water reaching the !Nara fields are now
quite rare. Water from floods, the accumulation of sand, and the renewal of old plants are all necessary to
the growth of !Nara. Owing to the construction of the flood protection wall in 1961, !Nara vegetation in
the area has been nearly destroyed. The decrease in flood water, lack of clearing of old !Nara plants, a
decrease in reproduction, lack of dormant seed release, obstruction of germination, and an increased
distance to groundwater owing to sand accumulation have all contributed to the decline in !Nara
vegetation. Many harvesters recognize that the crops are decreasing, but they lack a solution to the
problem. Although crop deterioration has been confirmed only in the !Nara field near the tributary, the
continued descent of the groundwater table, combined with a lack of flood water, will likely lead to
further !Nara crop deterioration in the region of the main stream in the near future.
Further study is required to investigate methods of improving the growth of !Nara, and to find solutions to
the problems of the lowering groundwater table and the decrease in flooding.