Deserts are the flora of the desert.
Having heard about the desert, most people imagine endless sand dunes, above which there is a haze of hot air. A real wasteland, alien to all living things, a merciless abode of deceptive mirages and hot sand... best case scenario At this moment we imagine rare cacti that can withstand this heat and the lack of sufficient water.
Common Misconception
Meanwhile, deserts and semi-deserts actually look completely different. At certain times of the year they become a real world of wonders and discoveries, covered with flowers and amazing plants. Animal and vegetable world These territories are truly amazing in their diversity and uniqueness.
Of course, you won’t find birches or plantains among the sands and dry clay soils, but much more amazing plants can be found in this area if you know when and where to look.
The desert is not always sand
Before we talk about what plants grow in deserts, let us draw attention to the inaccuracy of the stereotype that has developed over centuries regarding these corners of the globe. Contrary to popular belief, quicksand and hot air are not typical of all deserts. Strange, isn't it? And yet, this is the absolute truth.
Thus, in addition to traditional sandy ones (as in Africa), there are clayey, rocky and saline semi-deserts and deserts. Naturally, depending on the type of soil, the fauna and especially the flora will vary significantly.
A world of boulders and cracked earth
Let's start, perhaps, with rocky deserts, which at first glance seem completely unadapted to life and even aggressive. In summer, winter and autumn it is difficult to find even small area greenery, but real miracles begin with the arrival of spring.
The harsh earth comes to life, filled with colors and life. Desert flowers literally dot every boulder, open up and turn this area into a marvelous garden.
Numerous rocky screes that previously seemed dead are overgrown with capers, the snow-white flowers of which resemble more familiar orchids. In the shade of numerous boulders, wild calendula blooms, filling the wasteland with color and a specific, incomparable aroma. Every crack earth's surface filled with the greenery of juicy lettuce, among which numerous tiny yellow inflorescences open.
Everywhere you look, you can see other desert flowers - astragalus, whose grayish leaves are slightly lowered to the ground to reduce evaporation. These amazing plants bloom only in spring, and their bizarre inflorescences amaze with their variety of shapes.
Numerous tulips bloom in the beds of water streams, drying up as summer approaches, painting the grayish-brown wastelands in lilac, scarlet, yellow and pink tones. They are gradually being replaced by desert flowers such as wild poppies, during the flowering of which the rocky deserts turn into a real scarlet sea.
Above all this variety of colors and shades, pistachio trees rise, gradually filling with life. The buds on them quickly swell in the spring, and in just a few weeks the bare trunks, intertwined with each other, turn into real trees with rich crowns, through which the sky is practically invisible.
Rocky deserts and semi-deserts - real home for perennial ferules, real giants of this world, whose yellowish and greenish blooms set off the piercing blue of the sky and the variety of shades of the soil.
You can also find entire groves of wild pomegranates and twig-shaped almonds, the flowering of which resembles clouds of soft pink color. All this riot of colors develops rapidly and inexorably, only to disappear again in two or three weeks until next spring. By mid-April, the desert flowers are fading, and the rocky soils give life only to blackberries, blackberries and pomegranates.
Sand Dune World
A riot of colors and amazing flora can be seen in spring not only on rocky soils, but also among the endless expanses of sand. You will be surprised to know what plants grow in this type of desert. The whimsicality of shapes and colors here is truly amazing.
The Karakum, considered one of the largest Eurasian deserts, is often called “black sand” precisely because of its flora. This is the color of the camel thorn fields that grow in this area. These thickets are interspersed with bushes of wild wormwood, the leaves of which seem to be crushed by grayish ash.
Miniature sedge ilak - typical plant desert zones. It is this that gives these cruel and unfavorable territories a green, lush cover in the spring. For many years, saxaul can withstand such conditions, its height can reach 6-7 meters.
Wild acacias, which have special silvery foliage and inflorescences of a rich purple hue, especially stand out against the backdrop of sand dunes.
On such lands, conditions are considered the most severe and unsuitable for vegetation. All deserts of Africa and even the Sahara are recognized as more suitable for life. The thing is that the soil here is oversaturated with salt, which makes impossible life most plants. Only halophytes were able to adapt to this aggressive environment.
On such soils grow special types of wormwood, saltmarsh asters, saltgrass, saussurea and many other types of plants.
Clay deserts
This type is more typical of Asian spaces. Vegetable and animal world Such deserts are also quite scarce due to the specific nature of the soil.
Takyrs - as this area is called - in the dry season is a cracked wasteland, where it is almost impossible to find at least one green patch of land. Plants that take root in such areas have a very developed root system, thanks to which they are able to extract moisture from the depths. A typical example of such desert endurance is the solyanka.
The period in which clay deserts come to life also occurs in spring, when the soil is saturated with moisture, eroded and becomes more pliable. Basically, ephemerals and ephemeroids take root in such areas. The former live only one year and bloom for only a few weeks while conditions permit. Ephemeroids, on the other hand, are perennial plants; their seeds and bulbs are more adapted to the specific soil and climate.
And in Russia there are deserts
As a rule, when deserts are mentioned, the Sahara, Kalahari and Gobi come to mind, and not everyone thinks about Russia at such moments. Mostly motherland associated with the taiga and endless snowy expanses.
Nevertheless, this phenomenon is not at all alien to our country. The desert in Russia is much richer in flora than one might imagine. Don't believe me? Read on!
Oddly enough, one of the Russian deserts is located just 800 km from the capital. Archedinsky-Don sands - this is the name of the local wasteland. Most of this territory is covered with sandy massifs left by the Don since the Ice Age.
The plants of the Russian deserts make this territory truly unique in its kind - birch bushes stretch among the sandy hillocks, black alder and aspens grow. Juniper, a special type of cinquefoil and buckthorn are found here. There are also saxauls, common in desert areas around the world.
In the spring, numerous tulips bloom in particularly humid desert areas, and harsh nature turns into a real parade of colors and shades. They can be called the most bright accent in the middle of a desert spring.
There are practically no dangerous animals here. The most common representatives of Russian desert fauna are ground squirrels and jerboas. Of the larger animals, saigas are common in this area, and the number of bird species here is truly enormous.
Where sand gives way to ice
Let us note that the desert in Russia is not only the Tsimlyansk and Archedinsky-Don sands. These areas also include the Arctic wastelands, where heat gives way to frost. For most of the year, these expanses are covered with a thick layer of ice, and here you can only find moss that is very resistant to low temperatures. Only at the height of summer do the white wastelands transform beyond recognition - mosses and lichens acquire new colors, forming green-red carpets. Thistle and some types of cereals emerge from the frozen soil.
Meet here and flowering plants deserts of Russia - foxtail, buttercup, Arctic pike, snow saxifrage and even polar poppy. Here and there you can see sky-blue forget-me-nots and fluffy white moss. During this period, the icy, harsh desert turns into a real wonderful world, where the beauty and riot of life compete with low temperatures and strong winds.
Much more striking is the diversity of the fauna of the Arctic wastelands - walruses, seals and polar bears coexist here with a huge amount bird species, deer, narwhals and beluga whales.
Distant tropics
It is with this territory that deserts as such are associated. The oldest sandy wasteland, the Namib, is also located here. This tropical desert is not at all rich in flora, but the small local flora is simply amazing in its endurance and ability to adapt to such unfavorable conditions. Velvichia, whose lifespan reaches 1000 years, during its entire existence is capable of growing only two leaves, the dimensions of which, however, are by no means small: length 2-4 m (sometimes up to 8 m) with a width of about a meter. The quiver tree reaches a height of 7 meters, and the bunk provides life to all representatives of the fauna in this area with its reserves of moisture and nutrients.
The same Sahara
Another tropical desert is the Sahara, where vegetation is more common than in the Namib. In addition to the already mentioned representatives of the flora, you can find wormwood and other species here. unpretentious plants. Oleanders and tamarisk grow on the territory of the oases. Date palms and acacia trees are common in some areas.
In relatively moisture-rich areas you can find entire fields of Anabasia, which looks like countless green tiny stars.
As for the fauna of the African desert, you can find the most amazing creatures here. Common in the Sahara, for example, are horned vipers and scarabs, which are considered sacred by some peoples. Long-eared fennec cats, addax antelopes, camels and yellow scorpions are just a small part of the desert fauna.
Owners of sands and dunes
Since we are talking about such a phenomenon as the desert, we cannot help but talk about its real owners - the hardiest plants in the world. Of course, we will talk about cacti. Their specific shape and root system allow you to retain moisture for as long as possible, which makes it possible to live normally in conditions of rare rains.
We are accustomed to thinking that the only property and feature of cacti are their spines, but in fact it is difficult to find a more amazing sight than the flowering of these plants. This happens in the spring, when rain falls on the hot sand and the soil becomes saturated with moisture.
During this period, low-growing prickly pears light up with crimson lights and green-yellow agave tassels bloom. Yellow, green, pink and white flowers adorn these prickly representatives of the desert flora everywhere.
Driest desert
The driest in the world this moment considered Atacama. For several years there is no precipitation here, and therefore the flowering periods are especially unique. Usually grey-reddish soils are instantly transformed, only to return to their previous state within a week.
During periods of rainfall, entire fields are dotted with the bright purple flowers of desert verbena. Low-growing vernerias, Ramera's groundsel and bright yellow loma add color to this range.
More than 200 species of animals, birds and reptiles live here, despite the harsh environmental conditions. For example, vicunas (a special subspecies of llamas) and viscachas (small chinchillas with long tails) are common in the Atacama area.
California Death Valley
The Mojave is a desert whose plants and animals are quite diverse. Despite the intimidating name, this part of California is not so lifeless. For example, tree-like yucca and creosote bushes are quite common here, the flowers of which vary in color from white to bright yellow, depending on the species.
In some areas, Coleogyne is common, the flowering of which is very diverse in both tone and shape. Teresken, which is also called desert buckwheat, is also found quite often in more or less humid parts of the desert.
Ocotiyo lights up with bright red, almost orange candles in the spring, its inflorescences rising high above the surface of the Mojave shrubs. At the same time, numerous burro bushes bloom. Individually, the flowers of this plant are somewhat similar to mustard flowers, however, hundreds of such light yellow buds bloom on each branch, which makes the bush a little fluffy visually.
An amazing land - the desert. The plants and animals here are truly unique. It’s hard to even imagine how rich and diverse this paradise is, existing for a short moment.
Purple, red, orange, yellow, white and pistachio are all the colors that the Mojave turns into in the spring, only to return to arid and grayish-red within a few days until the next rainstorms.
Desert survival has always been considered difficult and extreme. And this is not at all surprising. Due to drought and heat, it is very difficult for animals and plants to survive here, but they try in every possible way to maintain their vital processes in the body, and even compensate for the lack of water. Therefore, be that as it may, life in deserts is possible, although it is very difficult. Each desert has its own vegetation and fauna. Almost all desert plants are perfectly adapted to life in the desert. Some absorb moisture through their leaves, others have a waxy covering that saves them in the heat. The supply of water in the leaves and stems of plants simplifies their existence quite well. Many plants growing in deserts are found only during certain periods of the year. There are plants for which it is convenient to germinate only in the spring; it is simply difficult for them to tolerate drought and heat in the summer. They grow well at a time when it is not yet so hot, and most importantly, traces of moisture can still be traced in the air. Many desert plants have well-developed root systems. Thanks to their strong and powerful roots, they grow deep into the ground, escaping drought. Through the roots they can for a long time absorb moisture from the ground.
In those deserts where it prevails clay soil, vegetation depends on precipitation. In northern clay deserts, precipitation occurs throughout the year. As for the southern clay deserts, precipitation can only fall in the spring. This makes life very difficult for local residents. The territory of the northern clayey deserts is dominated exclusively by saltwort and wormwood. It was shrubs that became the most common plants in these territories. The most frequently encountered tree was saxaul. It has no leaves at all, but has small flowers and fruits. This tree is quite hardy, and its wood is generally an excellent building material.
Southern clay deserts are completely different from northern deserts. There are very few bushes here, but more grass. When spring comes, the desert experiences frequent rainfall. They, in turn, well moisten the ground, which is covered with greenery, like a carpet. When summer comes, the sweltering heat begins. The sun burns out all the vegetation, and the soil becomes completely hard and dry. Thanks to their roots, all plants are well anchored underground, grow and absorb the necessary moisture. All deserts are characterized by those plants that can short term go through your entire development cycle. Some plants can immediately sprout finished plants in their spikelets, ready for sowing.
Post Desert Plants Report
Plants in deserts do not survive only on dunes and where the sand is covered with a layer of salt. In other areas, plants have learned to adapt to harsh climatic conditions, manifested in the form of hot sand, scanty amounts of moisture and scorching sun. The following adaptations help them survive:
- very deep and branched roots;
- growing at distances distant from each other so as not to compete for moisture and nutrients;
- modification of leaves to spines or, on the contrary, very fleshy variants;
- growth only after rains (for herbaceous plants).
A striking representative of the desert flora is the camel thorn. It has roots that go 20 m or more deep. Despite its name, the plant still has leaves. This subshrub, up to 1 m high, is rich in sugars and vitamins, so in addition to animal feed, this plant is used by people for medicinal purposes.
Saxaul is a tree that has adapted to grow on sandy and salty soils. His characteristic feature- a strongly curved trunk with many branches. There are no leaves on saxaul, but thin shoots cover the branches. It grows very slowly and is used as fuel. Its branches are eaten with pleasure by camels.
Another desert inhabitant is jojoba. This evergreen shrub has been cultivated and is actively grown. It survives among the sands thanks to deep roots reaching more than 25 m. A wax-like oil is extracted from the fruits, which is highly valued in cosmetology and the pharmaceutical industry. The oil does not spoil for a long time, and the remaining cake is sent to feed livestock.
An unpretentious herbaceous plant or subshrub, wormwood is also found in deserts. Its root is more powerful than the above-ground part. Due to its bitter taste and ability to increase appetite, wormwood is used in medicine and cooking.
After dying off in the form of a ball, tumbleweeds move across the sand under the influence of the wind. At the same time, the plant spreads seeds. In subtropical deserts there are eucalyptus and acacia trees, which have a pronounced aroma.
Popular reports
- Report-message Search engines
Thematic catalogs of sites that enable a person to search for information. The creation of such catalogs provoked the first attempts to streamline access to information on the Internet. In 1994, the Yahoo service appeared,
- Report Charlemagne 6th grade brief message
Great Emperor and King. Never in history has a nickname been assigned to anyone so simply, if that person did not deserve it. Charles was the first sitting emperor in western Europe, taking the royal throne approximately 1,200 years ago.
Christmas is the main holiday for Christians, which Catholics celebrate on December 25, and Orthodox Christians on magical night from 6 to 7 January, although exact date The birth of Jesus is unknown to anyone.
Studying the details of plant life in the desert is a fascinating topic for botanists. All desert flora exhibit certain characteristics adaptability, which play a crucial role in survival in extreme climatic conditions.
Everyone knows basic concept that plants need water and/or moist soil throughout their life cycle. Thus, when we think about dry habitats and plants, it is difficult to relate these concepts to each other. Considering high temperature and prolonged droughts are common in desert areas, there are no stable factors to maintain vigorous vegetation. So what allows desert plants to thrive in extreme conditions? In this article we will try to learn about the life of desert plants and the features of their adaptation to an arid climate.
Read also:
Desert biome
An elementary example of desert flora is the cactus. We often visualize several thorny cacti with one. Indeed, certain types of cactus constitute the predominant number of species among plants in desert regions. Other desert plants include: Encelia powdery, jumping choli, Joshua tree, yucca, Arizona iron wood and creosote bush. These plants are xerophytes and have adaptive abilities that are responsible for their survival in dry conditions environment in which other plants are unable to survive.
Adaptability of Desert Plants
There is no clear evidence for the evolution of adaptive features of desert plants. In fact, we have no cactus fossils at all, despite their widespread occurrence. Consequently, it is still unknown when these plants developed their adaptation to desert conditions. Scientists believe that they acquired certain adaptive functions millions of years ago, in response to changing environmental conditions. In other words, they were forced to develop adaptations to grow in the least favorable conditions. As soon as the rain begins, plants in the dry regions of the planet begin to quickly germinate, grow, bloom and bear fruit, thereby completing life cycle in a very short time period. Next, let's look at some of the adaptive features that allow the plant world to thrive in the desert.
Desert plant root system
A typical desert plant has a deep root system, which represents a specific physical mechanism. As the roots grow deep into the soil, they absorb groundwater, which subsequently hydrates the upper parts of the plant. Plant species that have adapted to extreme environmental conditions by using very long roots are called phreatophytes (for example, a mesquite tree with roots more than 20 meters in length). In contrast to phreatophytes, some plants, including cactus, have small roots that extend radially to absorb as much moisture as possible during the rainy season. Some xerophytes actually have both radial and deep root systems that absorb moisture.
Desert plant stem
One of the most important characteristics plants in arid habitats is their ability to store water in any of the body parts - roots, stems and leaves. Let's take a cactus as an example; they store moisture in green, flattened, succulent stems called phyllocladia. These stems serve food production and function in the same way as the leaves of most plant species. They also have thick layer wax coating, which helps retain moisture longer and protects plants from heat. According to plant evolution studies, the cactus is believed to be a xerophytic version of the rose family.
Desert plant leaves
Desert plants have small leaves with a waxy coating to minimize the process of transpiration (loss of water through the pores), which in turn helps conserve vital moisture. The foliage of succulents (plants with specialized tissues to retain water) provides another example of a moisture-storing adaptation. In addition, the pores of some xerophytes remain closed during the day and open at night, thereby reducing the rate of transpiration. Cacti do not have true leaves. Most likely, their function is performed by prickly spines to reduce moisture loss and protect against animals. In addition to cacti, many other plant species have adapted to life in the desert with the help of spines.
Even though plants require optimal conditions to grow in the average range, they develop certain adaptive properties to survive in the existing environment. Perennial plants in dry habitats remain dormant during hot dry periods and become active with the onset of the rainy season. While annual plants absorb water from rain and complete their life cycle very quickly. The main problem threatening desert vegetation is the loss of nitrogen from the soil due to increasing aridity.
List, description and photo of 10 desert plants
The plants from the table below are among the few representatives of desert flora that have found their home in the kingdom of eternal sands.
| Name and photo of the plant | a brief description of |
 Wollemia |
Wollemia - conifer tree, also known as a living fossil and one of the rarest plant species in the world. This unnatural tree grows only in the desert region of Australia. The appearance of Wollemia is mysterious, and its trunk has the shape of an ascending chain. She is one of oldest species plants on a planet with a history of about 200 million years. Wollemia has good adaptive abilities and can tolerate low temperatures up to -12° Celsius. Each Wollemia tree has both male and female cones. |
 Cleistocactus Strauss |
The silver cleistocactus, native to Bolivia and Argentina, is also called the woolly torch due to its unusual appearance. It reaches a height of up to 3 meters and has upright gray-green stems. Interestingly, cleistocactus is grown in winter at a temperature of -10° Celsius, due to which the plant is in a dormant period. Each rib is dotted with small areolas white, which are spaced 5mm apart and create a woolen look. The cactus blooms in late summer and has dark red cylindrical flowers. |
 Desert Ironwood |
Ironwood can be found in the Sonoran Desert, in North America. It grows like a bush or tree and reaches a height of about 10 meters, and the average trunk diameter is about 60 cm; in exceptional places, it bigger size and more massive. In young trees, the bark is gray, shiny and smooth; in older trees it is fibrous. This tree is evergreen, but may lose its leaves if the temperature drops below 2° Celsius. In constant drought conditions, leaves also fall off. Flowering occurs from late April/May to June. The flowers can be purple, purplish-red, pale pink or white. Desert Ironwood is very hard and heavy. Its density is greater than that of water, and therefore it sinks. Its wood is used to make knife handles, as it is ideally hard, fibrous and has a suitable color. |
 Euphorbia obese |
Euphorbia obese is commonly known as the “baseball plant” due to its shape. Its diameter ranges from 6 to 15 cm depending on age. Young plants are spherical in shape, but become cylindrical with age. Almost always, fat milkweed has 8 ribs, on which there are small cones. It has a reservoir to store water for a long time. The flowers of this plant are called cyathia. Fat spurge is common in the Karoo Desert of South Africa. |
 Cylindropuntia |
Cylindropuntia, also known as cholla, is native to the southwestern United States and the Sonoran Desert. This perennial, covered with silver prickly needles, 2.5 cm in size. This type of plant grows densely in a certain area, which gives the impression of a small forest. The thick trunk helps the plant survive in the hot desert climate. Cylindropuntia blooms from February to May with greenish flowers. |
 Carnegie |
Carnegia is a plant from a monotypic genus Carnegie, which can grow up to 15 meters in height. Its homeland is the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA. This mysterious desert plant has no leaves and blooms in spring. Carnegia cactus flower is national flower state of Arizona. Thick spines help them conserve water. Life expectancy is from 75 to 150 years. The spines help redirect wind throughout the plant. |
 African Hydnora |
The African Hydnora is the most strange plant deserts are native to Africa. It is difficult to identify as a plant due to its unnatural appearance. Hydnora is completely leafless and has a deep brown stem. This plant becomes more visible only during flowering. Its flowers are spherical, brown on the outside and orange on the inside. Hydnora also produces a pungent odor to attract beetles to collect pollen. |
 Barrel cactus |
Barrel cactus is a plant from the southwestern deserts of America. The plant has an unnatural cylindrical shape. The barrel cactus is the largest cactus in the American deserts and has thick spines. The Barrel cactus grows up to 1 meter in height and has a shallow root system. It can store water. The flowers are yellowish or orange, located on the upper part of the trunk. |
 Velvichia |
Its homeland is the rocky African Namib Desert. This plant has only two leaves, which are divided into many ribbon-like parts, about 1.5 meters long. They create shade and retain moisture, so necessary in arid climates. The lifespan of this plant can reach 1500 years. Erroneously, Welwitschia is called a herbaceous plant, but it is a tree, about 80 cm high, half of which is underground and about 120 cm in diameter. |
 Baobab |
Baobab is the most common type of tree of the Adansonia genus, native to the vast African continent. These long-lived trees are typically found in the arid, hot sub-Saharan region where they dominate the landscape, and help reveal the presence of watercourses from afar. Their growth rate is determined by the number groundwater or sediments, and their maximum age, which is still the subject of much debate, is about 1500 years. Baobabs have traditionally acted as a source of food, water, medicine or shelter, and are also shrouded in a host of legends and superstitions. Explorers used to carve their names into the baobab trees, and many of the trees have been defaced by modern graffiti. |
Video
When we talk about the desert, first of all we imagine sandy expanses where there is no water, no animals, no plants. But such a landscape is not ubiquitous, and nature in the desert can be very diverse. Deserts are home to several species of birds, mammals, herbivores, insects and reptiles. This means they have something to eat in the desert.
Despite the hot and dry climate, strong winds and sandstorms, and lack of precipitation, representatives of the animal world are able to survive in such conditions. Some species of flora have also adapted to these conditions.
What are the living conditions for plants in deserts?
The local flora has adaptations that help it survive:
- thorns;
- powerful root system;
- fleshy leaves;
- small height.
These devices allow plants to gain a foothold in the soil. Long roots reach underground waters, and leaves retain moisture for a long time. Since shrubs and trees grow at a certain distance from each other, they can absorb moisture within their radius to the maximum. Only under such conditions does flora exist in the desert.
What types of flora grow in deserts?
The flora of the desert is very unusual. Most common in this natural area different kinds cacti. They are different sizes and shapes, but overall it is a massive body and spines. Some species live for about a hundred years. Aloe is also found here and has thorns and fleshy leaves.
Baobab trees also grow in deserts. These are trees that have massive trunks and long roots, so they are fed from underground water sources. Quite often in deserts, spherical tumbleweed shrubs are found. The jojoba tree also grows here, from the fruits of which valuable oil is obtained.
The desert is rich in small plants that bloom when it rains. During this period, the desert is clothed in colorful flowers. Among the small plants there are camel thorns and.
Among other plants in the deserts, lithops and elm, creosote bush and comb, cereus, and slipway grow. Wormwood, sedge, bluegrass and others grow in oases herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs.
All desert plants have adapted to harsh climatic conditions. But, despite the thorns, thorns, and small size, the desert flora is magnificent and amazing. When rainfall occurs, plants even bloom. Anyone who has seen the blooming desert with his own eyes will never forget this magnificent miracle of nature.
Educational video about plants in the desert
How plants adapted to life in the desert
The diversity of plants in the desert is possible because they have special adaptations and differ significantly from the vegetation of forests and steppes. If these plants natural areas There are powerful stems and branches, but desert plants have very thin stems in which moisture accumulates. Leaves and branches are modified into spines and shoots. Some plants have scales instead of leaves, for example, . Although desert plants have small sizes, they have a long and powerful root system, which allows them to gain a foothold in sandy soil. On average, the length of the roots reaches 5-10 meters, and in some species it is longer. This allows the roots to reach the groundwater that feeds the plants. So that every shrub, tree or perennial plant receives sufficient quantity moisture, they grow on specific plant from each other.
So, the most adapted for life in the desert different types flora. Since cacti live for several decades, and some individuals grow for more than 100 years. Different shapes and the shades have ephemera, which bloom especially vividly during rain. In some places you can find unique saxaul forests. They can grow as trees or shrubs that reach an average height of 5 meters, but can be taller. Very large shrubs are found in the desert. These could be sand acacias. They have thin trunks and small leaves with small purple flowers. The creosote bush has yellow blooms. It is adapted to long-term drought and harsh climatic conditions, scares away animals by secreting bad smell. Various succulents grow in the desert, such as lithops. It is worth emphasizing that any desert in the world can surprise you with the diversity and beauty of its flora.
A desert is a vast and extremely dry area of land. Geographers say that the real desert receives on average less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. However, the amount of rain in the desert can vary greatly from year to year: one year there may be heavy rain, and in the next few years there may be no rain at all. To survive in the desert, people and all nature must adapt to changing conditions of existence. In coastal deserts, such as the Namib Desert in South West Africa, the most reliable source of water for many small animals and plants is fog. Those places in the desert where water reaches the earth's surface or lies close to it are called oases. The soil here is quite fertile, and trees, shrubs and crops grow because their roots reach the water. Cacti, which store moisture in their fleshy stems, have tiny needles instead of leaves. This way they hardly lose water in the dry desert air.
Plants that naturally grow in desert conditions (desert and semi-desert regions of South and Central America, as well as Africa and Asia). Therefore, desert plants are characterized by special “adaptations” for survival in conditions of moisture deficiency, scorching sun, high daytime and low night temperatures.
One of the characteristics of desert plants is their ability to grow quickly. During the short period of spring rains, when the soil is saturated with moisture, the most favorable conditions for plant development. Their rapid growth helps shorten the growing season, which lasts from several weeks to two and a half months.
Among these plants, annual grasses dominate, which develop only in the spring and burn out with the onset of drought. These are the so-called ephemera. There are also perennial ephemera. The main part of them are plants with tubers and bulbs. With the help of these organs, moisture accumulates in the spring and is slowly consumed during drought.
Desert plants do not at all determine the appearance of an area with an arid climate. The colors of a desert landscape depend more on the soil than on the vegetation cover. A special feature of the cover is its extreme sparseness. The bulk of plants are drought-resistant species (extreme xerophytes).
Some devices that prevent evaporation help plants cope with a sharp lack of moisture: a greatly reduced leaf area and their pubescence, a thick film on the surface of the leaves. This film is called the cuticle; it is completely waterproof. Sometimes desert plants have underdeveloped leaves in the form of tiny scales. The functions of the leaves are performed by green stems rich in chlorophyll.
To overcome the long summer drought, desert plants shed their leaves when the weather gets hot. This phenomenon is very common in arid climates.
Fleshy and succulent desert plants (they are called succulents) cope with drought in a unique way. They have thickened stems or leaves. Equipped with a special water-bearing tissue, plants store water in the aboveground part. The outer covering tissue with a dense film called cuticle protects them from strong evaporation. Such desert plants usually have very few stomata, which also reduces moisture loss.
In deserts there are species that are completely unable to tolerate drought. These include ephemeroids and ephemera. They grow only in spring, when the desert is still humid and not very hot, and with the onset summer heat their aboveground part dies off.
There is another type of desert plant called pump plants called phreatophytes. Even the strongest heat does not affect the bright green color of their leaves and open flowers. This is explained by the fact that the roots of phreatophytes penetrate extremely deeply into the soil (up to 30 m) and reach groundwater. Camel thorn is an example of this.
The leading role in the desert belongs to woody plants. These include shrubs, subshrubs and even small trees (for example, saxaul).
Desert vegetation belongs to the Asteraceae, legumes, cruciferous plants and grasses. Even desert sedge plants are found. However, the most common of them belong to the goosefoot family. Wormwood also grows well in this climate.
The composition of deserts is sandy, rocky, saline and clayey. Soil conditions significantly influence the nature of vegetation. For desert plants, the mechanical composition of the soil is very important, which affects the water supply. In clay deserts, plants are content solely with the amount of water that comes from the atmosphere with precipitation.
Moisture deficiency – serious problem for all desert plants, so in the process of evolution they have learned to adapt to prolonged drought.
Xerophytes
The seeds of some cacti can lie dormant for hundreds of years. Xerophytes are plants that, like cacti, can survive temporary water shortages. However, they do not accumulate moisture, but simply go into a state of hibernation.
Lithops
The birthplace of lithops or “living stones” is the rocky Namib Desert. Of all the greenery, they only had a couple of fleshy, pebble-like leaves left. The cylindrical shape and small surface area compared to the volume minimized the evaporation of moisture even under the rays of the scorching sun.
However, the advantages of the unusual form of the plant do not end there. Until the time of flowering comes, lithopses dissolve without a trace in their surroundings, which often saves them from profit-seeking desert inhabitants - ostriches, turtles, porcupines and some rodents. Successful survival is facilitated not only by the unusual shape, but also by the camouflage coloring of the plants to match the color of the motley mosaic of sand and stones.
In the Lithops family there are not only traditionally green species, but also bluish, yellow, orange or brown ones, and in places where quartz rocks predominate, even milky white Lithops are found. Sometimes next to them you can find something that at first glance resembles a fragment of an antique mosaic. In fact, these are the tops of the leaves of Fenestraria - another representative of the Lithops family.
Carnegia gianta (in language local residents- saguaro), which has become a symbol of the Wild West and the state of Arizona, grows on the border between the United States and Mexico. Its white flowers open only at night, and its green fruits with red flesh are widely used in local cuisine. Cacti are able to accumulate and store water. To do this, they use special storage tissues, consisting of voluminous cells, filled almost to the top with vacuoles - reservoirs of cell sap.
Carnegia gigantea. Photo: Rick Sharloch
Cereus
Cereuses 10 - 15 meters high can store hundreds of liters of water, and a few rainy days are enough for them to replenish their reserves. Welwitschia amazing - the most characteristic plant of Namibia - grows on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, within reach of the fogs coming from the sea. The oldest specimens live up to 2000 years. Botanists have calculated that the stems of Carnegia gianta, or Pachycereus Pringle, reaching 20 meters in height, store over 3000 liters of water, and the barrel-like echinocactus (2.5 meters tall, 3 meters in girth and 1000 kg in weight) contains 800 liters of water .
The loss of 80% of moisture during a period of prolonged drought does not cause irreversible changes in cacti, and they remain viable, whereas ordinary plants loss of up to 50% moisture means inevitable death. The leaves of the cacti turned into spines, and their functions were taken over by the stem. Cacti owe their bizarre appearance to this unusual redistribution of roles.
Baobab (Adansonia)
The baobab is a large tree with a huge, thick, deeply grooved trunk and is found from Africa to Australia. The trunk of a mature tree can be up to 9 m in diameter. Cut the roots to obtain water. Fleshy, juicy fruits 10-20 cm long and seeds are edible raw.
Agave
Agave has a basal rosette of thick, leathery, spiny leaves with a sharp tip, from which emerges a very long, spire-shaped pedicel. The pedicels, which are still without flowers, are edible when boiled. It is found in Africa, Asia, southern Europe, Mexico, the southern United States and parts of the Caribbean. It grows in both damp tropical areas and deserts.