Arabian desert
RESOLVE 809
The Arabian Desert is a vast, disjointed Palearctic ecoregion that occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula and reaches across Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, southwestern Iran, Egypt's Sinai, and Israel's Negev. Sandy and gravel plains, elevated plateaus, and seasonal valleys called wadis dominate the terrain, supporting sparse, drought-adapted vegetation in which Acacia trees, Tamarix shrubs, and saltbushes such as Cornulaca and Salsola are characteristic, with Calligonum on dune slopes and Prosopis cineraria along desert margins. The climate is hot and arid, with very low and variable rainfall and extreme summer heat. Despite limited overall biodiversity, the region shelters specially adapted wildlife including the Arabian oryx, sand gazelles, and the Asian houbara bustard, its flagship species, but it remains poorly protected and is degraded by overgrazing, poaching, and off-road vehicle damage. For gardeners, the hardy native Acacia and Prosopis trees illustrate the drought-tolerant genera suited to hot, dry conditions.
About the deserts & xeric shrublands biome
Arid and semi-arid lands where low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation limit vegetation to drought-adapted shrubs, succulents, and sparse grasses. Day-to-night temperature swings are large, and life is finely tuned to water scarcity.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.