The Horn of Africa Xeric Bushlands stretch across the interior of the Horn, covering much of inland Somalia and the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia, set within the tropical and subtropical grasslands and shrublands biome of the Afrotropic realm. Its dominant cover is deciduous bushland and thicket, where the most common trees belong to the genera Acacia and Commiphora; in the driest semi-desert zones these are joined by succulent Euphorbia and Aloe. The climate is hot and arid, with mean maximum temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall that can fall below 100 millimetres in the Ogaden. The region is a notable centre of endemism, especially for arid-adapted antelopes such as the dibatag, beira, hirola, and Speke's gazelle, though much of it has been disrupted by long-running conflict and instability. For gardeners drawn to drought-hardy plants, this is the home of the yeheb nut (Cordeauxia edulis), a very drought- and termite-resistant evergreen shrub with yellow flowers and edible seeds, alongside native frankincense (Boswellia rivae) and scented-myrrh (Commiphora guidottii) trees.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 9.0°N, 47.4°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13a-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.3°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
About the tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands biome
Warm grasslands and savannas where grasses dominate and trees are scattered, maintained by seasonal rainfall, grazing, and fire. They support large herbivore communities and respond sharply to wet–dry cycles.
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.
Currently suited · 4
These plants fit the ecoregion as it is today, but the mid-century projection moves them outside their stated zone range — plan for them to struggle by 2070.
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.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands ecoregions to explore: