North Arabian desert
RESOLVE 831
The North Arabian Desert is a Deserts and Xeric Shrublands ecoregion of the Palearctic realm that stretches across Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia, and into the western desert of Iraq. Its sparse vegetation is dominated by small drought-hardy shrubs such as mugworts and saltworts, along with Haloxylon salicornica, with plant growth concentrating in wadi beds where soils are deeper and halophytes like Arthrocnemum fruticosum gathering around wetlands. The climate is hot and dry, with average annual rainfall of roughly 50 to 200 mm and temperatures swinging from cool minimums to summer maximums approaching 40 degrees Celsius. The Nubian ibex is the flagship species, and the region also shelters gazelles, Arabian oryx, caracal, and Ruppell's fox, while the Azraq wetlands draw migratory birds from as far as Scandinavia, Siberia, and Africa. Overgrazing, hunting, and water abstraction are the leading threats, and the ecoregion remains only lightly protected. For gardeners in hot, arid climates, the native saltworts and Haloxylon point toward salt- and drought-tolerant plantings suited to poor desert soils.
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.