The Desert Beauties: Potential of UAE Desert Flowering Plants to be used as Ornamentals

The country has a flat coastal plain; an interior desert, part of the Empty Quarter (Rub alKhali); an elevated plateau; and the Hajar Mountains, shared with Oman. Principal oasis regions are Liwa and Buraymi. Rainfall is highly seasonal, localized, and scanty. South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia. The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation. The extensive Liwa Oasis is in the south near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia. About 100 kilometers to the northeast of Liwa is the Al-Buraimi oasis, which extends on both sides of the Abu DhabiOman border. In the oasis grow date palms, acacia and eucalyptus trees. In the desert the flora is very sparse and consists of grasses and thornbushes. The indigenous fauna had come close to extinction because of intensive hunting, which has led to a conservation program on Bani Yas island initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, resulting in the survival of, for example, Arabian oryx and leopards. Coastal fish consist mainly of mackerel, perch and tuna, as well as sharks and whales The climate of the U.A.E generally is hot and dry. The hottest months are July and August, when average maximum temperatures reach above 48 C (118.4 F) on the coastal plain. In the Al Hajar Mountains, temperatures are considerably lower, a result of increased altitude.[41] Average minimum temperatures in January and February are between 10 and 14 C (50 and 57.2 F).[42] During the late summer months, a humid southeastern wind known as Sharqi (i.e. "Easterner") makes the coastal region especially unpleasant. The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is fewer than 120 mm (4.7 in), but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches 350 mm (13.8 in). Rain in the coastal region falls in short, torrential bursts during the summer months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry wadi beds.[43] The region is prone to occasional, violent dust storms, which can severely reduce visibility. The Jebel Jais mountain cluster in Ras al-Khaimah has experienced snow only twice since records began.[44] Sunny/blue skies can be expected throughout the year. The months June through September are generally hot and humid with temperatures averaging above 40C (110F). During this time, sandstorms also occur intermittently, in some cases reducing visibility down to a few meters. The weather is usually pleasant from October to May. January to February is cooler and may require the use of a light jacket. This period also sees dense fog on some days. The oasis city of Al Ain, about 150 km away, bordering Oman, regularly records the highest summer temperatures in the country, however the dry desert air and cooler evenings make it a traditional retreat from the intense summer heat and year round humidity of the capital city.[6] The country is located in the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula between latitudes 22-26.5N and longitudes 51-56.5E. The unique and varied topography is one of the important geographical features of the UAE. The country has a primarily desert landscape with vast sand dunes, oases, and wadis (dry river bed). There are about 200 offshore islands all along the Persian Gulf Coast, in

addition to beautiful coral reefs and extensive salt marshes. Some of the world's largest sand dunes are located east of Aradah in the oases of Al-Liwa, including Al Ain about 100 miles east of Abu Dhabi. In the northern part of the country, the Al Hajar Mountains rises up to 2,000 meters in some places. The UAE has an arid subtropical climate with year-round sunny days, and infrequent and low rainfall. The climate is hot and humid along the coast, and hot and dry in the interiors. Summers (June to September) are hot and humid, with temperatures touching 48C (118F) and humidity soaring to 80-90%. Dust laden sandstorms locally known as 'shamal' regularly hit the coast in midwinter and early summer. Winter months (November to April) are mild and pleasant, with temperatures averaging at 25C (77F) and humidity is lower. Rainfall is infrequent and low with most precipitation occurring in winter months of December and January. The unique and varied topography is one of the important physical features of the empirates. The federation has a primarily desert landscape. Mountains take up only few percent of the total territory. The magnificent Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, rising in places to 2,500 meters, is an impressive mountain range in the Arabia Peninsula and it separates the Al Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE. The climate of the UAE is generally hot and humid along the coast, and hot and dry in the interiors. In the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, temperatures are considerably cooler. There are more or less 200 offshore islands all along the Persian Gulf Coast, moreover, vast spectacular sand dunes, oases, and wadis (dry river bed). The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation: Al Liwa Oasis and Al Buraymi Oasis. Some of the world's largest sand dunes are located in the oases of Al-Liwa. The western and southern regions of the United Arab Emirates are primarily salt flats and sand dunes, with the very rare oasis in a barren region. The main oases are in Al Ain, which is to the east of Abu Dhabi by about 160 km. Liwa, in the southwestern part is also an oasis. In the northern parts of the state of Abu Dhabi, sand dunes gradually shift into gravel plains. These are formed by the Hajar Ton range, formed some 200 million years ago. The mountains themselves reach heights of 3000 meters. The larger ones are located near the border with Oman.The east coast of the UAE is not a desert at all, but a productive area where good water supplies and adequate rainfall have allowed farmers to grow crops for thousands of years. Along the eastern coast are beautiful, pristine beaches that seem to go on forever. On the UAE coast that is on the Arabian Gulf, there are many tiny islands and many inlets that change the landscape yet again. Mangroves are widespread, and there are countless fish and bird species. Compared to the desert parts of the UAE, this end of the country is cooler. Many people don't realize that such places exist in the UAE, but those who know vacation here and enjoy it thoroughly. Geography involves the study of the formation of landforms, the age of the landforms, and other features. Rivers, too are studied to determine their origins, the direction of flow, and where precisely the headwaters of the river are located, whether it's in mountains or some other natural landform, all the way until the river meets the ocean. In the mountains, rivers

have their beginnings, and the water flows very turbulently, which is a great resource for generating electricity. These waters are too turbulent to be navigated. Once the river meets the plain after coming down off a mountain, the speed of the flow slows down, and the river widens out. These results in reservoirs and wide, calm rivers that are beneficial to the people of the region. Water that comes from these sources can be used by farmers to irrigate crops. Once rivers meet a plain, there are often fertile soils in the area, and these areas often turn into agriculturally productive areas. In India, an example of this phenomenon would be the Great Ganges. The UAE is becoming a very popular destination in the gulf region, and people from everywhere are learning that there's much more to the UAE than sand dunes and Dubai. The important cities are located close to water, because water is necessary for most forms of civilization. Once a river crosses a plain and reaches the ocean, it slows considerably and is considered to be the "old" part of the river. Forests are an extremely important part of geography due to their resources. The animals that live in these areas depend on the natural vegetation. A number of plant and animal species are found to be thriving just fine in these regions without any unwelcome human attention. Geography is political, too, with study of countries and continents along with the study of their populations. Once a person better understands the political aspect of geography, he understands the people and cultures much better too. The coastline of the Persian Gulf is home to hundreds of small, offshore islands, which contrast with the dunes, wadis, dry riverbeds, and oases on the mainland. There are even coral reefs and salt marshes. Some of the biggest sand dunes in the world are located in AlLiwa, where there are oases to the east of Aradah. This, along with Al Ain, is outside the city of Abu Dhabi. In the northern part of the state of Abu Dhabi, the Al Hajar range reaches heights of 2000 meters in some places. The variety of landforms in the UAE are surprising to some people, who only think of deserts when they think of the UAE. Overall, the UAE has a very dry climate with sub-tropical temperatures and sunny days most of the year. Rainfall is brief and infrequent. Along the coast, the weather is hot and humid, and in the interior parts of the country the weather is burning hot and dry. From June to September are hot and humid, with temperatures reaching 48 degrees C and humidity of up to 90%. Sometimes sandstorms called "shaman" reach the coasts in the middle of winter and in the spring too. November to April are considered the winter months. They are much more enjoyable, with temperatures averaging around 25 degrees C and lower humidity. Rain is rare, but most of it occurs during December and January. Regardless of the region, the weather in the UAE is always warm. The heat may be too much for some to take, but in the winter, the climate is much more enjoyable, and there is air conditioning in pretty much all modern buildings and cars. In the UAE four major land forms are found: sand sheets, gravel plains, saline flats and mountains each with characteristic vegetation adapted to the local soil condition. Generally the soils are nutrient poor.

PLANT LIFE

Considering its size the UAE has a wide variety of natural habitats and for our chapter on plants in this general wildlife book we shall take a look at communities within these habitats, rather than present a taxonomic treatise or flora, a task better left to the professionals. As we undertake this floristic escapade, briefly exploring their plants within different communities, I shall guide you, not as a trained botanist, but rather as an enthusiastic plant collector and observer. In nearly thirteen years of enjoying the deserts of the UAE, I have been amazed at the diversity of its plant life and the wonderful adaptations that have evolved to cope with the harsh living conditions. On a four-hour drive along the western coast going from south to north, you will see the saline sabkha flats of Abu Dhabi turn into sandy plains dotted with halophyte vegetation like Salsola imbricata and Zygophyllum mandavillei with a few stunted Tamarix. All these halophytic plants have their methods of dealing with the high levels of salt in the soil. The tamarix excretes the salt on its needlelike leaves whilst the succulents store it in the fluids of their globular leaves. In sheltered lagoons along much of the Gulf coast mangroves (Avicennia marina) are home to many species of birds and fishes. Where low sandy hillocks start to appear, grasses like Panicum turgidum and Pennisetum divisum become abundant, while Haloxylon salicornicum is present throughout most of the coastal (and also the inland) sandy plains. The delicate fruitwings of this plant, which appear in December, can turn the roadside into a feast of translucent whites, pinks and purples. In some places the sabkhas have dense vegetation where grey-leaved Atriplex leucoclada sets off the intricate yellow branches of Halocnemum strobilaceum, the whiteflowering Heliotropium kotschyi and the maroon globular leaves of Halopeplis perfoliata. The fragile plumes of Sporobolus arabicus and the purple sprays of Limonium axillare complete a master's palette of colours and textures. In spring the multi-coloured flowers of Moltkiopsis ciliata, the maroon seedheads of Cyperus arenarius and the yellow daisies Senecio glaucus form a continuous ground cover as far as the eye can see. We are coming close to Dubai, and the sand is now more obvious, shimmering white between bushes of Cornulaca monacantha, Crotalaria persica, Calotropis procera and Taverniera spartea. Two of the three parasitic plants of the UAE are abundant in these sandy coastal strips: the pretty yellow/maroon desert hyacinth (Cistanche tubulosa) and the red thumb (Cynomorium coccineum), which the bedu like to eat. One of the most important plants in bedu folklore, arta or Calligonum comosum, is at home here - but it is under threat of local extinction in areas of intense grazing. Along the main highways strips of about ten metres wide have been protected from grazing by camel fences, placed there to prevent collision between the animals and speeding cars. Wherever the fences are intact, the arta thrives, showing off its brilliant red seedpod lanterns in early spring. But outside the fences hardly a live plant can be found, having been browsed to death by domestic stock. With the

disappearance of the arta several species of nocturnal moths, whose larvae feed on it, are threatened. The importance of these moths to the pollination of desert flora is not yet understood, and it could be that the impact of their loss of food source will lead to a population crash with a much more far reaching impact upon desert flora throughout the region. Tidal creeks cut into the coastline from Sharjah northwards. Mangroves are abundant, but low, and the landspits in between the creeks are covered with the same grasses and halophytes, that occur all along the coast. But these areas are also the last places where an abundance of the edible mushroom faqah still occurs. These fungi live in symbiosis with the small woody perennial shrub Helianthemum lippii. The extremely wet spring of 19951996 brought out the mushrooms in great multitudes - and local people in droves to collect them! Nearer to Ras al-Khaimah high sand-dunes with impressive ghaf (Prosopis cinerea ) forests come close to the coast. In the springtime these dunes are covered with the lovely ephemerals, Eremobium aegyptiacum , Silene villosa , Senecio glaucus , Malva parviflora and several Launaea species. A narrow gravel plain leads north of Ras al-Khaimah to the point where the high Musandam mountains descend straight into the sea. The plains around Ras al-Khaimah are among the most fertile of the country and plantations prosper. Abandoned fields in the springtime have a special fascination for plant lovers. There are all the common favourites like Anagallis arvensis , Aerva javanica , Astragalus species , Lotus halophilus , Monsonia nivea and the bindweed Convolvulus arvensis . Aloe vera is an introduced species that has established itself as a 'feral' plant. Towards the mountains the gravel plains are thick with stands of Prosopis juliflora , the indestructible mesquite, probably imported into the country in times long gone by. Starting from these plains, another four-hour drive leads through boulderstrewn Wadi Bih to a high pass, where some of the original montane flora can be found in those places where fences protect it against the voracious appetite of goats and donkeys. Dark purple Ixiolirion tataricum lilies, and bright blue irises vie for attention with the showy pink Gladiolus italicus and the strange Muscaris longipes. Smaller weeds, more commonly found in European meadows, also occur, including Vicia sativa , Galium setaceum , and strong-smelling herbs like Salvia aegyptiaca . Under overhanging large boulders tiny plants like the yellow Vicoa pentanema and the starry Spergula fallax stand side by side with the small white daisies of Anthemis odontostephana and the yellow globes of Matricaria aurea. The most conspicuous plants of these high plains are the thorny Astragalus spinosus bushes, the arabian almond Amygdalus arabicus and the graceful pink-flowering Moringa peregrina trees. A hairpin track with magnificent views zig-zags down into the steep-sided canyon of Wadi Khabb Shamsi, one of the sites of the strange Periploca aphylla , and leads into the Dibba gravel plains, where Acacia tortilis trees spread their flat-topped umbrellas. I have noticed a sort of symbiosis between this Acacia and Lycium shawii, the desert thorn. The

latter, wherever it grows by itself, is often cropped into stunted shapes by domestic animals, and the only specimens that manage to thrive are those that grow between the protecting branches of the Acacia . The Acacia itself often shows a double umbrella: most of the tree, which is browsed by camels remains low and shrublike, but in the middle, where camels cannot reach, some branches have managed to grow out and reach their proper height to form the second umbrella. The east coast road affords different views every few minutes. In some places the Hajjar mountains reach to the sea, while in other places extensive palm groves hide white-washed villages. The plantations are often bordered with lush vegetation including Abutilon pannosum , Pergularia tomentosa and Vernonia arabica , while the rocky passes in between have stands of the very common redflowering Tephrosia apollinea , with here and there a bright yellow patch of the foulsmelling Haplophyllum tuberculatum and the inconspicuous Pulicaria arabica . Tidal marshes extend inland from the main road in places just north of Fujairah, which lies in the widest stretch of gravel plain. In the south the coast road ends in one of the largest mangrove forests of southwestern Arabia, Khor Kalba, earmarked to become a nature reserve. The next four hours of driving are along a brand new road that leads west again through a few large wadis to the central Hajjar mountains near Hatta.The wadis in the whole mountain range are extremely interesting botanically. Permanent pools and dripping aquifers provide habitats for fragile ferns like Adiantum capillus-veneris which occurs in close conjunction with the only UAE orchid Epipactis veratrifolia. These moist places also harbour Lippia nodiflora, Centaurium pulchella, Bacopa monnieri and Sida urens. Impressive stands of Phragmites australis, Imperata cylindrica and Typha domingensis, with colour added by the wild oleander Nerium mascatense make you forget you are in a desert country. The rocky wadibanks are equally fascinating with the pink clouds of Boerhaavia elegans, the fine sprays of Launaea massauensis, the pink pea Argyrolobium roseum, the delicate grey violets Viola cinerea, the stork's bill Erodium laciniatum and the tiny blue borages Paracaryum intermedium and Gastrocotyle hispida. In some good springs, you can find the tiny-flowered weeds like the poppy Papaver dubium, the yellow flax Linum corymbulosum, the snapdragon Misopates orontium, Euphorbia prostrata, Kickxia hastata and the carnation Dianthus cyri. To find these takes footwork, while bigger plants with showy flowers like Capparis spinosa, Leucas inflata, Reseda aucheri, Cleome rupicola, Physorrhynchus chaemarapistrum, Salvia spinosa and Hyoscyamus muticus can be identified from the car. The higher slopes of the mountains must be climbed in order to see the plants that occur there. Hibiscus micranthus, aptly named for its 2 mm diameter flower, Euphorbia larica, Teucrium stocksianum and the Caralluma species, both the maroon fringed-petalled common one and the rare yellow Caralluma flava all occur here. I have my personal list of favourites from this cooler mountain habitat: firstly the popcorn plant with its unpronounceable name Pseudogaillonia hymenostephana - its tiny white trumpet

flowers sit on velvety pink calyces, which start to become larger, whiter and papery thin with age, until the wind can blow these seed-carrying ballooons all over the place; secondly Blepharis ciliaris, the eyelash plant with its single blue petalled flower, the seeds of this plant remain with the mother plant until a heavy rainfall drenches the plant and hygroscopic mechanisms come into action to shoot the seeds over long distance away from their source; thirdly Asteriscus pygmaeus, a small yellow composite, that dries up into a tight woody bud, that shelters the seeds, drenched by a downpour (or by water from my waterbottle) the petals of this seedhead unfold and the seeds can drop out; and finally the 'Hand of Miriam' Anastatica hierochuntica , which folds up all its branches to form a clenched fist, that only unclenches to release the seeds during heavy rain. In spring, the relatively level plateaus between the mountains are carpeted with Erucaria hispanica, Diplotaxis harra and Asphodelus tenuifolius. On the southward trip from Hatta to Al Ain the plant communities change continuously, even though the landscape seems to be more or less the same. Areas dominated by the very poisonous Iphiona aucheri give way to others where Fagonia indica and Pulicaria glutinosa reign supreme. Then follow stretches where the only perennial visible is the shrub Jaubertia aucheri. Further south Tephrosia apollinea is the main plant, with smaller stretches covered with Schweinfurthia papilloniacea and Rhazya stricta. There is a story concerning Iphiona aucheri : When I arrived here in 1983, I took only pictures of plants. I was taught to take specimens after my first visit to Edinburgh botanical gardens. One of the photos that I showed in Edinburgh was of a stem with leaves and a seedhead of Iphiona aucheri, taken on Jebel Qatar near Al Ain. I never saw the plant again until 1990, when I noticed two lush shrubs along the Madam-Hatta road. At the time I wondered how two such large bushes could have escaped my attention earlier. I was even more amazed the next spring when just south of this location many dozens of bushes had sprung up. That spring several valuable racing camels died after browsing the succulent leaves. Analysis showed that the leaves contained powerful poisons, called sesquiterpenlactones ( Prof.U.Wernery, Central Veterinary Research Laboratorium Dubai). Orders were given for the plant to be destroyed, but this is an impossible task when it concerns a composite. Nowadays the first fifteen kilometres on either side of the road leading from Hatta to Mahda is permanently green with Iphiona foliage and the camels have learned to avoid it! The intriguing question is: what happened to this plant between 1983 and 1990, when I never found it during my weekly desert trips? Near Buraimi the mountains give way to large sandy plains separated by low fossil bearing ridges. If it is still early in the day, large bushes of Convolvulus deserti can be found showing off its white flowers. The extended palm groves of Buraimi and Al Ain nestle at the foot of the 1000 m high Jebel Hafeet, an imposing piece of rock, that rises from the plains like the back of a beached whale, as Thesiger wrote when he first saw it. The mountain is not as empty as its name indicates, but one needs mountaineering skills in order to find all the species of plants that grow on its craggy flanks. However, since a road has been constructed a good way up the mountain it is now relatively easy to reach the summit, and although much of the natural plant life was destroyed during the construction work, some has made a come-back. It is the easiest place to see Capparis cartilaginea . Echiochilon thesigeri, Salsola rubescens, Launaea spinosa, Farsetia aegyptiaca, Helichrysum somalense and Gymnarrhena

micranthus are but a few of the many species that occur along the top ridges. At the foot of the mountain a sandy plain is the only location, that I know of, where Anvillea garcinii, a crinkly-grey-leaved woody perennial, occurs. The area where the plant thrives is only a few hundred metres square and road construction is likely to destroy the site. From Al Ain a tarmac road leads to Al-Wigan at the edge of the empty quarters. Row upon row of red sand-dunes are the waves of an endless sea of sand. But again, the sands are not completely empty. Between the dunes are salt plains with bright green Zygophyllum bushes as the dominant species, while sedges are the main vegetation on the dunes themselves. From AlWigan there are tracks across the dunes, that become higher and more forbidding as you go on. Only seasoned drivers venture across these drifting dunes, and it is a relief to reach one of the vast sandy saline plains that lie in an east-west direction and are used as the main roads for travelling here. It takes far more than four hours to do the circuit from Al-Wigan to either the Liwa oasis in the middle of Abu Dhabi's western region, or the main road leading to the north from Liwa to Tarif. One of the finest surprises of travelling in the dune habitat is to encounter a stand of Tribulus omanense, the flower that gave its name to the Emirates Natural History Group magazine, and which should be a major contender as the still to be declared national flower of the UAE. The beauty of the yellow flower on a plant that manages to survive the extremes of heat and drought and provides a favourite fodder for the gazelles and oryx that (used to) live here, symbolizes, for myself at least, the very essence of the desert. Driving north from the Empty Quarter back to the coast road where we started the trip, leads us through the central desert area, where we can find patches of the desert squash Citrullus colocynthis, the spreading bush Tribulus megistopterus and the greygreen bushes of Indigofera intricata, as well as the high broomlike shrubs of Leptadenia pyrotechnica , that often provide a shady lair for the delicate gazelles. Spring rains herald the appearance of endless fields of grasses like Stipagrostis plumosa, Coelachyrum piercei, Setaria verticillata and Cenchrus pennisetiformis as well as the popular fodder grasses Pennisetum divisum and Panicum Since 1980 there have been years of drought interspersed with good rains in the winters of 1982, 1987 and 1988; but the rains of 1996 were the most copious since 1962, according to local farmers. Many people remarked that these rains must have brought out many plants, which were unknown to me. But this was not so. It was more a case of every plant being present in great abundance. Surprisingly, plants came up in places

where I did not expect them: violets on dry mountain tops, Calendula arvensis at low altitudes and the parasite Orobanche cernua away from its usual hosts; in addition normally rare plants such as Silene linearis, Cleome scaposa and Ophioglossum polyphyllum were suddenly locally abundant. This unexpected profusion vividly demonstrated that thousands of seeds lie dormant for many, many years without germinating, waiting for that one season with unusual rainfall. But not every plant thrived during these wet months. Bleparis ciliaris was either completely vegetative or it died, Rhynchosia minima bushes looked lush but lacked flowers. I searched in vain for Cleome pruinosa, and saw only a few bushes of the otherwise relatively common Taverniera glabra. It was particularly impressive to observe the huge quantities of seeds being produced. I also noticed that many plants went through the whole cycle of germination, flowering and seeding twice in a single season. The desert flora has given me countless hours of pleasure and offered many challenges. Among these is the rediscovery of the lovely Scrophulariacea, of which I only ever found one specimen.