the succulent karoo biome is dominated by dwarf, leafy-succulent shrubs, and annuals, predominantly asteraceae, popularly known as namaqualand daisies, which put on spectacular flower displays covering vast stretches of the landscape in the southern spring-time (august–september) after good rains in the winter. grasses are uncommon, making most of the biome unsuitable for grazing. the low rainfall, in fact, discourages most forms of agriculture. an exception is the thriving ostrich-farming industry in the little karoo, which is heavily dependent on supplementary feeding with lucerne. the difference between the succulent karoo biome and the nama karoo biome is that the former receives the little rain that falls as cyclonic rainfall in winter, which has less erosive power than the infrequent but violent summer thunderstorms of the nama karoo. frost is also less common in the succulent karoo biome than in the nama karoo biome. the number of mainly succulent plant species is very high for an arid area of this size anywhere in the world.