The Southwest Arabian Coastal Xeric Shrublands stretch along the Red Sea coast across Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, following the narrow Tihamah plain and taking in offshore islands such as the Farasan, Hanish, and Kamaran groups. Sandy wadis and stony plains here carry halophytic and xerophytic plants alongside open Commiphora and Acacia woodlands, with doum palms and tamarisks among the common trees. The climate is warm desert, with mean annual temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius that often exceed 40 in summer and scant rainfall, the southern stretch fed by monsoon rains in late summer and spring. Despite minimal formal protection, the ecoregion shelters the endemic Farasan gazelle and serves as a winter refuge for large numbers of migratory birds. Gardeners in hot, arid coastal climates may recognize the native doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica) as a heat- and drought-tolerant ornamental.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 13.4°N, 43.5°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11b-13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11b-13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.2°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.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
16,006 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
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.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
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 deserts & xeric shrublands ecoregions to explore: