Family
|
Species
|
Description
|
| Gramminae (grasses) |
(a) Aristida plumosa |
Tufted annual herb, commonly known as three-awned grass. Up
to 50cm (Arabic – “nussi”) |
| |
(b) Astenatherum forsskali |
Perennial desert grass with woolly root fibres, 5 – 30 cm high. Leaves
hairy on both surfaces; panicle (branched flower head) 5 – 10 cm long.
Spikelets are three-flowered, 7 – 8 mm long. Common in very dry sand.
(Arabic – “sabat”) |
| |
(c) Lasiurus hirsutus |
Perennial bushy desert grass 30 – 60 cm high, characterized by its
brittle, silky spike, 10 – 14 cm long and 1 cm broad. Very similar to Pennisetum
divisum but spike definitely brittle, not tough. Pale yellow
appearance at a distance. |
Zygopyllaceae
(Caltrop family) |
(a) Fagonia indica |
Common shrublet of rocky foothills. Up to 0.5 m tall with pinkish flowers
up to 1 cm broad and armed with sharp spines. Slender and fragile in
appearance and easily missed in amongst stones and other vegetation. (Arabic
– “mushikka”) |
| |
(b) Tribulus spp. |
Perennial herbs with prostrate stems (though stems can be seen virtually
erect in well-watered and protected plantation areas). Flowers usually yellow
with five petals, not unlike an opened-out buttercup on casual glance.
Usually an indicator of non-saline water beneath the sand. (Arabic – "zahar”) |
| Leguminosae (Pea family) |
(a) Taverniera lappacea |
Low shrub with grayish-green branches and small, spine-like leaves.
Branches up to 30 cm long. Flowers are pink and prominent, 10 – 20 cm long,
blooming March – April. |
| |
(b) Tephrosia apollinea |
Common shrublet of lower-altitude hillsides. A tall, stiff, silvery plant
with pink flowers. (Arabic – “dafra”) |
| |
(c) Cassia senna |
A low, woody shrub with paired leaves and yellow flowers and straight,
thin, papery legume |
| Geraniaceae |
(a) Monsonia glauca |
Perennial herb, 15 – 25 cm high, with rosette of 2 – 6 flesh-colored
flowers. Occasional in sandy desert areas. |
| Cruciferae |
(a) Dipterigium glaucum |
A very common perennial in sandy habitats. Long slender stems, appearing
almost leafless at times. Flowers minute, yellow. |
Cucurbitaceae
(Gourd family) |
(a) Citrullus colocynthis |
A prostrate perennial herb with branches trailing for two or three meters.
Flowers similar to cucumber or melon, yellow. Fruit is apple-sized, striped,
mottled-green at first, turning yellow when ripe. Common in wadis or on sand
below rocky overhangs where water can collect. The Oryx also eats the fruit. |
Apocynaceae
(Dogbane family) |
(a) Rhazya stricta |
Up to 1 m high on silty and alluvial flatlands. Related to the oleander.
Flowers white; stems and fleshy twigs contain milky sap said to be poisonous.
Normally avoided by grazing animals. Leaves and long thin pods turn brown and
brittle. (Arabic – “harmal”) |
| Cyperaceae |
(a) Cyperus conglomeratus |
Large, tufted sedge; leaves often grooved and pointed at tips. Flowering
stem erect (20 – 50 cm high) and above most leaves. Flowers consist of
several compact spikelets near top of stem. Common in sandy, low-salinity
soils that are well drained. |
| Compositae |
(a) Pulicaria spp. |
Small herbs with showy yellow heads 5 – 25 mm in diameter. Heads are
many-flowered. Leaves are serrated and pointed, decreasing in size higher up
the stem. Occasional in sandy areas. |
Euphorbiaceae
(Spurge family) |
(a) Chrozophora spp. |
Grayish-green, woolly shrublets, generally small with large leaves.
Flowers inconspicuous; fruits small scaly capsules. Maximum 1 m high (c.
oblongifolia) |
Orobanchaceae
(Broomrape family) |
Phelypaea spp. (Cistanche) |
Leafless parasite, lacking chlorophyll; depends on nourishment via
thread-like attachments to host plant, frequently a saltbush variety. Often
seen on or near seashore in sandy or shell-covered areas. Flower is a
striking yellow spike, sometimes up to a meter tall, reminiscent of a long,
thin, tightly closed hyacinth. |
| Cynomoriaceae |
(a) Cynomorium coccineum |
Fleshy blackish-brown parasite, smaller than cistanche and less common.
Flowers small and crowded on club-shaped spike. Up to 30 cm high. |
