To determine the relationship between vegetation and environmental parameters in a desert-savanna ecotone, vegetation in the Naukluft Mountains of Namibia (southern Africa) was described and analysed in terms of environmental parameters determining the observed patterns. 12 plant communities, largely characterized by low shrubs, were described on the basis of a classification. Through ordination altitude, clay, potassium content of the substrate and, to a lesser extent, habitats were identified as underlying environmental factors determining the composition of these plant communities. Keywords: arid, canonical correspondance analysis, desert mountain, dolomite range, Nama Karoo, Namib, phyto-sociology, soil parameter, southern Africa.