The Central Asian southern desert spans Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, covering most of Turkmenistan and the eastern half of Uzbekistan between the eastern Caspian coast and the foothills of Central Asia's mountains. It takes in two great deserts split by the Amudarya River: the Karakum, the "black sand" desert of central Turkmenistan, and the Kyzylkum, the "red sand" desert of Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan. Its sandy expanses are anchored by hardy, drought-tolerant saxaul trees (Haloxylon), notably white saxaul (Haloxylon persicum) and black saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron), alongside sagebrush, saltworts (Salsola), and seepweeds (Suaeda) that endure poor, often saline soils. The climate is a cold-desert type with hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters dipping below freezing. The ecoregion shelters highly specialized desert wildlife, including the sand cat, goitered gazelles, and saiga antelope, with protected strongholds such as the Repetek Biosphere Reserve and Badhyz State Nature Reserve.

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