Gobi Desert Plants

Most of us associate desert with sand and heat, don't we? On the contrary, Gobi desert is not sandy, neither is it hot. On the contrary, it is a cold desert with rainfall of just about 200 millimeters a year. Moreover, it consists of gravel and rocks with scattered shrubs and trees. The desert stretches from Mongolia to the Northern parts of China and is one of the largest deserts of the world. The temperature of the Gobi desert fluctuates from hot to very cold. Despite the extreme climatic conditions there are a few species of plants and animals which can survive these conditions. In this article we would focus on some Gobi desert plants and how they can survive such extreme climate.

Adaptation of Plants in the Gobi Desert

Plants in the Gobi desert have different means of adapting themselves to climatic extremes. In that sense they are similar to some great sandy desert plants like cactus. They have adapted themselves in such a way that they can preserve water and survive for long periods without it. There are some plants which have developed a tap root system while some plants have shallow roots but they spread over a wide area. The roots of plants which have a tap root system can go as deep as 30 meters under the surface of the earth to draw water. Most of the plants store water in their fruits, leaves, stems or roots. Some plants adapt their leaves in such a way that they become needle-shaped, which reduces the surface area of leaves exposed to the sun so as to curb evaporation. Moreover, Gobi desert plants develop a waxy resin like structure which help in minimizing water evaporation.

Gobi Desert Plant Life

Though it may seem that Gobi desert is a barren wasteland, there are some Gobi desert vegetation which can survive. Some of the common plant life include Saxaul trees, Tamarisk, Halophytes and Nitre bush.

One of the most commonly found tree in the Gobi desert is the Saxaul tree and is the most important tree for survival of humans and animals as they are a good source of water. Since water is scarce, this tree stores water under its barks which is harvested by the people living in the Gobi desert.

Tamarisk, also called Salt cedars, is a variety of shrub that grows in the Gobi desert. Compared to other shrubs found in the Gobi desert, this shrub is larger and can grow to a height of about 8 to 16 feet while they are smaller than trees found in the region. These plants have small scaly leaves and produce off-white or pink flowers. They mostly grow on flat surfaces where moisture content is slightly high.

The Nitre bush, also called Nitraria billardierei DC, is also be found in the Gobi desert. They have bulges or mounds which can be as high as 2 meters, which protrude from the ground. The leaves are covered with soft and short hair which are dull gray green in color and are oval shaped. The bush blooms during spring and the branches are filled with spines. Saline soil is the ideal soil condition of these bushes.

Halophytes is another variety of plant that grows well in Gobi desert. They can also grow well in saline soil with low moisture levels. These are succulent plants, which means the presence of thick, fleshy stems and leaves which can store water. In a desert region where water is scarce, this property is an important adaptation for survival of plants.

Thus, Gobi desert plants have unique capacity to adjust themselves to extreme climatic conditions. Hope this article has given you some idea of some of the most common plants which grow in the Gobi desert.