Bulletin 29 - July 1986: Common Landscape Plants in the UAE

Common Landscape Plants in the UAE

The climate of this region of the world would initially appear hostile to the development of gardens and landscaped areas such as parks and road verges. Rainfall is low and infrequent and evaporation high; soils are mostly shallow and of poor texture, often overlying a loamy calcium lacking in natural phosphorus; salinity levels are generally very high; and surface winds can be fierce over prolonged periods. However, over the years careful selection of introduced species, plus utilisation of a few native species, has helped to combat these problems. While the effect on the country as a whole is minimal, the concentration of landscaped areas in towns and cities is in marked contrast to the original land area even as recently as five years ago. Around the plants themselves in these gardens and parks the effect on the microclimate can be remarkable. Temperature is reduced in shaded areas, direct sunlight is filtered onto the ground and manmade surfaces such as walls and paths, wind speed is reduced and sand and dust accumulations minimised. To us humans this greening is a relief and a triumph over the perceived monotony of the natural desert landscape with its scattered plant communities and lack of striking colour.

The lists that follow are not by any means complete as the Group is still compiling data, and the whole country would need to be surveyed. Most of the following names apply to the Arabian Gulf cities. Commercial fruits and crop species have been omitted though in a very few cases, such as the date palm and wavy-leafed tecomella, the species is grown both as an ornamental and for its fruit.

Finally, there follows some notes on environmental factors and plant growth, which are generalisations based on experience gained to date.

Introduced Trees

Introduced Shrubs and Climbers

Indigenous Trees and Shrubs

In addition to the exotics listed above there is a number of local species which are utilised, particularly as shelterbelts, hedges and occasionally as town ornamentals.

Local Trees

Local Shrubs