Desert Vegetation

A desert is a unique geographical feature found on the Earth which covers almost 1/7th of its surface. It can be defined as an arid land with very less vegetation. The scarce amount of vegetation is seen due to less amount or lack of rainfall (annual rainfall in deserts is 25cms or even less). In order to adjust to these conditions, the vegetation or plants in the deserts have undergone certain changes over a period of thousands of years. Let us have a look at the desert biome vegetation in detail.

What is Desert Vegetation?
Vegetation in a desert contains limited types of plants due to the lack of favorable conditions and resources. Desert vegetation comprises plants that have modified or undergone adaptations in order to survive in the desert. These plants are known as xerophytes. The following are the desert vegetation adaptations found in deserts all over the world:

• These plants are usually smaller in order to prevent water loss from surfaces.
• They have little or no leaves, but instead have thorns.
• The leaves of some plants are fleshy as they contain aqueous tissue.
• Some plants have very long roots to get moisture deep under the ground.
• Some plants remain dormant during dry periods and come to life when water is available.

Desert Vegetation
Cactus is the most common type of plant or shrub found in nearly all the deserts of the world. Desert biome is classified into 4 types, viz., Coastal desert, cold desert, semiarid desert and hot and dry desert. The type of vegetation found differs according to the type of desert. The following desert vegetation types is found in these different deserts.

• Coastal Desert: Black bush, Black sage, Buckwheat bush, Chrysothamnus, Rice grass, Salt bush, etc.
• Cold Desert: Algae, Arctic azaleas, Arctic lupine, Arctic poppies, Cinquefoil, Campanulas, Buttercups, Lichens, Moss campion, Mountain avens, Purple saxifrage, Viola, Valerian, Wild crocus, Yarrow, etc.
• Semiarid Desert: Bur sage, Brittle bushes, Cat claw, Jujube, Lyciums, Mesquite, White thorn, etc.
• Hot and Dry Desert: Agaves, Brittlebush, Ephedras, Ocotillo, Prickly pears, Sotol, Turpentine bush, Yuccas, etc.

Sahara Desert Vegetation
The Sahara, located in the continent of Africa, is the largest hot and dry desert on the Earth. Interestingly, some types of vegetation still thrive against all the odds of nature observed in this region. Sahara desert vegetation includes African Welwitchsia, date palm, thyme, magaria, olive trees, orange trees, and fig trees. Apart from these, more than half of the Sahara desert is extremely barren and no vegetation is found there. However, there are still some areas in the Sahara desert that are lush, containing abundant trees and plants. This area is known as the Nile valley, where a lot of greenery and abundant vegetation is found. This is possible because this area receives the required amount of water from the Nile river.

Gobi Desert Vegetation
The Gobi desert, situated in China, is the fifth largest desert in the world. This desert comprises five parts, viz., Alashan Plateau, the Eastern Gobi Desert Steppe, the Gobi Lakes Valley, the Tian Shan Range and the Junggar Basin semi-desert and the type of vegetation found differs accordingly. Acacia, Convovulvus, Ephedra, Needle grass, Reeds, Saltwort, Saxaul tree, Taana, Wormwood, Tamarisks, etc. are the different types of plants found in this desert.

Although there are no favorable resources available, we find quite a variety of plants in the deserts. One should also note that desert vegetation is important to people and animals living in that area as it is the only source of food in those parts!