The Registan-North Pakistan sandy desert stretches across the dry Sistan Basin of southern Afghanistan and into eastern Iran and southwest Pakistan, a vast expanse of sandy desert and xeric shrubland. The Helmand River threads through it from the northeast before emptying into the endorheic Hamun Lake, leaving most of the basin bare or sparsely vegetated, with trees largely absent; Pistacia-Amygdalus woodlands appear only at higher elevations in the surrounding mountain ranges, such as Kuh-i Taftan. Its cold desert climate (Koppen BWk) brings scorching summers but, unlike hotter deserts, cold and dry winters, paired with very low annual rainfall averaging under 100 mm. Despite the aridity, the region supports several endemic reptiles, including the Afghan toadhead agama, while the transboundary Hamoun wetland complex draws exceptional bird diversity and shelters threatened raptors such as the Egyptian and white-rumped vultures, steppe eagle, and saker falcon. For gardeners in similar arid climates, the wild pistachio (Pistacia) native here is a notable drought-hardy genus.

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