The Succulent Karoo xeric shrublands form an arid desert ecoregion stretching along the coastal strip and inland uplands of southwestern Namibia and South Africa's Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces, where the cold Benguela Current flows offshore. It hosts the world's richest succulent dwarf-shrub vegetation, dominated by the mesemb family Aizoaceae (Mesembryanthemaceae) along with Crassulaceae and the aloes, and is dotted with near-endemic trees such as the quiver tree and the halfmens. The climate is hot and dry with low, comparatively predictable rainfall, conditions that have produced an extraordinary flora. The region is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, harboring roughly one-third of the world's approximately 10,000 succulent species and a striking concentration of endemic reptiles and invertebrates, including the monkey beetle that serves as a key pollinator. For gardeners, it is the native home of many prized drought-tolerant ornamentals, from aloes such as Aloe striata to the vividly flowering vygies of the Aizoaceae.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 32.0°S, 19.8°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
10b-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
10b-12b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.0°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
22,032 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)
About the deserts & xeric shrublands biome
Arid and semi-arid lands where low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation limit vegetation to drought-adapted shrubs, succulents, and sparse grasses. Day-to-night temperature swings are large, and life is finely tuned to water scarcity.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 79
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other deserts & xeric shrublands ecoregions to explore: