Quiver Tree Rocklands

Quiver Tree Rocklands is an original illustration set in Southern Namibia. It lies in the subtropics, where the climate is hot desert — evaporation far outruns rainfall.

A thick smooth pale trunk divides into many raised forks, each tipped by a compact spiky aloe rosette. Several smaller trees stand among granite boulders on an arid slope, and the low winter sun turns the bark almost white.

Why is the bark pale and powdery?

The pale powdery bark reflects sunlight to keep the trunk cool, and the tree sheds its own branches in drought to reduce the load it must supply with water. The rosettes hold reserves. Aloes reaching tree size, spaced widely over bare granite, mark a hot arid region where the limiting factor is water and nothing else competes.

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