Stipagrostis sabulicola

This is a large mound-building coarse-grass that has been known to occupy areas up to 50m². The roots and leaves are completely different from those of the Trianthema hereroensis, as this dune grass is not able to take in water through its leaves, but via its impressive network of roots that lie close to the surface, reaching out up to a distance of 20m. Many of these roots lie within the upper 1cm of the sand or entirely exposed to the surface. Like the Trianthema, it is restricted to the Namib sand sea, but extends further eastwards, to the inland periphery of the dunes.

As fog rarely penetrates this far, there is a greater chance of rain. The surface root makes full use of any downpour. If you do go on the lookout for this plant, then it grows in unstable areas where other grasses don't succeed to grow. The Stipagrostis sabulicola and the Trianthema hereroensis are two of the few plants that can survive on the dunes during prolonged dry periods, the main difference (apart from appearance) is that the former absorbs water (fog) through its leaves and the latter through its roots.