The Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands form a broad, crescent-shaped belt wrapping the eastern and southern slopes of Afghanistan's central highlands, extending into Pakistan and edging the Hindu Kush, between the sandy deserts to the south and the wetter alpine meadows to the north. Despite the "woodlands" name, less than one percent of the territory is actually forested; most is bare ground, sparse vegetation, or herbaceous cover, with open stands of Mount Atlas pistachio (Pistacia atlantica) at lower elevations giving way to wild almond (Prunus) trees higher up. The climate is dry and strongly seasonal, with hot summers and winter rainfall in the Mediterranean mold. The region's flagship is the white-rumped vulture, while the cold, fast-flowing streams of the Paghman mountains shelter the critically endangered, range-restricted Paghman mountain salamander, and the saline lake of Ab-i-Estada serves as a vital spring migration stop for waterfowl, including greater flamingos. For gardeners, the native pistachio and almond underscore the drought-hardy, stone-fruit and nut genera suited to hot-summer, dry climates.

At a glance

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.

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Related ecoregions