!Nara (Acanthosicyos horridus) is an endemic, leafless dioecious plant of the Cucurbitaceae family located in the western Namib Desert. The largest !nara population inhabits the Kuiseb Delta, which separates the gravel plains of the northwest from the large dunes of the Namib Sand Sea to the southwest. Although the Kuiseb Riverbed possesses nutrient rich soil, which supplements plant development for a variety of species within close proximity to the river, few large plants are capable of establishing themselves farther from the river aside from !nara (Moser, 2001). Previous studies found that the !nara has several features that aid in its survival in the arid environment. !Nara possess extraordinarily long taproots between 30 to 100 meters in length with one of the world’s largest xylem channels, allowing them to uptake water from underground water sources in the absence of rainfall and fog events (Henschel and Moser 2004; Klopatek and Stock 1994). Alongside their root systems, recent studies suggest that !nara can utilize moisture directly from the air by intercepting fog blowing inward from the Atlantic coast, by absorbing it through their stems and thorns (Gerber et al. 2017). In addition, !nara plants possess protective thorns as opposed to leaves, thereby reducing the flat surface area exposed to the hot desert sun and increasing moisture retention (Hebeler 2000).