Grasses Of South West Africa/Namibia

​”Grasses of South West Africa/Namibia” is a comprehensive guide authored by M.A.N. Müller and published in 1984 by the Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Agriculture and Nature Conservation in Windhoek, Namibia. The book aims to provide essential information on the grazeable vegetation of the region, focusing on 115 grass species that are agriculturally significant, including pioneer, sub-climax, and climax grasses. ​

Pioneer grasses, typically annuals, can establish themselves in unfavorable conditions on bare or overgrazed land, thereby creating an environment conducive to the subsequent establishment of perennial grasses. As the veld recovers, it progresses through various stabilization stages involving sub-climax grasses until reaching the climax stage, which is considered the ideal condition for land management. ​

​”Grasses of South West Africa/Namibia” includes a synopsis of the vegetation types in the territory, helping readers understand the correlation between grass distribution and various vegetation zones. Two identification keys for different grass genera are provided: a simple key using characteristics distinguishable with the naked eye and a more advanced key requiring a magnifying glass of at least 10x magnification.

Each species description encompasses the origin of the scientific name, common names in English, Afrikaans, and German, inflorescence type, detailed plant description, distribution across districts, and general information. These descriptions are further enhanced with clear illustrations, photographs where available, and distribution maps indicating recorded localities. ​

The woodcuts used in ​”Grasses of South West Africa/Namibia” were originally created by Willy Giess, the former curator of the S.W.A. Herbarium, during his time in the internment camp at Andalusia (now Jan Kempdorp, South Africa). These illustrations were previously used in Otto Heinrich Volk’s 1944 publication “Bestimmungsschlüssel für südwestafrikanische Grasgattungen.” Additionally, artist Blythe Loutit contributed meticulous and botanically accurate illustrations to the book. ​

A revised edition titled “Grasses of Namibia” was published in 2007 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. This updated version includes descriptions of 135 species and subspecies, incorporating additional information and improved identification keys to better serve farmers, extension workers, scientists, and students.