Haloxyllon and Leptadenia as a live wall in Hili Alain United Arab Emirates.
Appeal and Out of the box thinking
I strongly appeal to all the people and municipalities of the world, especially the Arabian Peninsula to adopt the best solution and conserve nature by using native flora/shrubs for hedging, fencing, wall beautifications, herbariums, botanical gardens, lawns, and other vegetation projects because of many reasons. The idea is equally good for all the regions of the world but here my main focus is on the desert flora and Arabian Peninsula.
The native biodiversity of the Arabian Peninsula
In the following gallery, different plants and insects of the region are provided. The list is very long but here few important are provided.
The new botanical name is Tetraena qatarensisThe very important shrub of the arid lands, Tetraena is a hope of life in the desert ecosystems.
A robber fly is sucking the nectar of The flower of Tetraena qatarensis
The shrub is not only a source of food for large animals but also for the flies, bees, beetles, and other creatures in the drylands.
A flowering beautiful Helitropium bacciferumThe shrub Helitropium bacciferum has some herbal and medicinal values and desert dwellers have been using it for different health ailments. I would certainly keep struggling with the documentation of the traditional knowledge about the shrub but I have found very good references (scientific) from the literature that tells about the antioxidant value and anti-cancer agent. You can read about Helitropium bacciferum in the link below. Desert Gift -Heliotropium bacciferum
Citrulus flora – Making shapes of the crocodileThe animals, insects, and birds in the desert have their own taste. They are just after the food, not the taste and texture. They know the importance and the value of food. They eat everything growing in the deserts, some animals eat one and avoid the other but as a main picture, all plants are consumable. Citrullus might be very bitter and poisonous for humans but food of choice for goats, camels, rodents, and birds. Also, such flora is home to the unique and well-adapted fauna of the desert.
The Desert is a heaven on earth and the trees are the treasure of the natureAdapted desert flora, Tetraena qatarensis, commonly known as Harm or HadiddiTribulus flora in the desert, is very beautiful and very importantA wild Brassicaceae shoot in Jable Hafeeth. Eremobium aegyptiacum, is the wild ancestor of a wide range of vegetables like reddish, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, oil plants, etc.I’m keenly looking forward if a botanist will tell me the botanical name of this beautiful flora in the dry mountains of Jeble Hafeeth, Alain UAEBeautiful leafy flora on the peaks of the Jable Hafeeth mountain in Alain UAE
Cyperus grass of Jable Hafeeth, Alain UAEThe cyperus grass is a very strong and resilient flora of the desert. How it copes with the extreme aridity, here you can see. How does the Cyperus grass conserve water and sustain life in the desert ecosystem? https://youtu.be/AH2V9HJp13A
Keenly waiting if someone will tell me the botanical name of this beautiful Wildflower in Jable Hafeeth, Alain UAEHelp in identification, please. A beautiful flowering shrub of Jable Hafeeth, attraction for flies, butterflies, whisps, bees, birds, and other small creaturesHelp in identification, please. A beautiful flowering shrub of Jable Hafeeth, attraction for flies, butterflies, whisps, bees, birds, and other small creatures. Looking like morning glory but I’m not sureAuthor Dr. Abdul Raziq with Prosopis cineraria in the desert of Alain, Abu Dhabi UAECalitropis plant – highly resistant and flowers all around the year. A very attractive bush for the sunbirdFlowers of Leptadenia, are a very attractive flowering shrub in the desert. The people also make gum from its pods. Highly adapted flora of the desert, Zygophyllum qatarense with a modern botanical name; Tetraena qatarensisDepterigium glaucum is an attraction for bees in the desert. The flora has high palatability and higher medicinal valueLadybug eating epids (the black small insects) on the flower of the Tribulus dark red ladybug on the Tribulus plantAcacia tortilis is one of the very important flora of the desert. Its leaves and pods are good food for camels and the flowers are a treasure for the honeybeesNeed help in identification of the flora in the desert. This flora has reddish flowers in contrast to the many other florae of the desert which have yellow flowers. It gives a sense that this flora is imported from other regions of the world.Leptadenia can grow taller up to 4 meters and can be used for making life fencing. Haloxyllon salicornicum, a very unique plant and the best food for the camels Eremobium aegyptiacum, family Brassicaceae. There are two types of Eremobium aegyptiacum in Alain.A huge and widely spread Zygophyllum in Alain UAE. The botanical name is Tetraena qatarensisThe native flora provides a habitat to the wildlife, a rodent’s home in the roots of the Haloxyllon salicornicum.A shrub of Haloxyllon salicornicum in Hili Alain
Beautiful gallery of the important flora of UAE
Gallery showing different flora of the United Arab Emirates. Such flora diversity can be used to achieve all the goals of municipalities’ beautification, personal lawns, research, and nature conservation.
The reasons behind the idea
No need for watering as the native flora is highly drought tolerant and can survive years without rains.
The native flora can be planted in any type of soil as they are highly salt tolerant in nature
Mostly, the native flora do not need a fertilizer, pesticides, or mineral supplements
They do not need intensive care, saving thousands of hours of labor time
Strong support to the flora and fauna biodiversity of the region
The native flora are eco-friendly, perform far better than exotic plants, and better survive in climatic extremes
Also, native flora provides habitat to the mini-wildlife of the region, like honeybees, whisps, beetles, reptiles, birds, and many others
The additional but very important role can be fodder production for camels and other livestock. The stalk trimmed for beautification can be a very good camel feed. Municipality like Abu Dhabi can produce thousands of tons of fodder for camels annually and can save a huge volume of import expenses
The municipality can save up to millions of liters of water annually which can be used for other environmental support projects
The native flora can be used for the herbal medication as the traditional knowledge of using the herbs is still very strong in a different regions
Such projects will be a great support for nature conservation
We can form miniature herbariums, living walls, live fencing, and botanical gardens in the cities with the native flora
It is really a great theme to use the native flora (highly tolerant to drought conditions and saline soil textures) for different vegetation projects like herbarium, botanical gardens, living walls, living fencing, landscaping, lawns, and other plantation projects. The native plants can fulfill all the purposes with a very low input system.
Live wall, such walls can be formed by the native flora very easily. Such walls need a lot of water, almost every day. If the same wall is made by native flora like Zygophyllum, can save thousands of liters of water and produce hundreds of tons of food for the camels. Some pictures of the native flora with the live-wall and natural fencing are provided in the following imagesAuthor with a background of beautiful live walls in Alain. SuchSuch tall and beautiful bio-walls can be easily made by the Leptadenia, Zygophyllum, and other native shrubsSuch wooden bio-fences can be made by Acacia tortillas. A. tortilis is even better because of its thousand spines/thornsAuthor with a Zygophyllum shrub in Alain, the shrub has climbed the wire fenceHere is an example of live-wall from the native flora in Alain. Haloxyllon and Leptadenia as a live wall in Hili Alain United Arab Emirates.Author Dr. Abdul Raziq with the Haloxyllon shrub live wall in Alain.A live-wall naturally made of Haloxyllon specie in Alain, UAE
Alain Municipality has taken great initiatives already
In many places of Alain city, you will notice a lot of native flora have been used for the city beautification, like Leptadenia, and other plants (many from the Jable Hafeeth origin), which is really a very environment-friendly act. I would especially suggest flora like Haloxyllon salicornicum and Zygophyllum qatarense for making fences and walls as they can climb on support and get strengthen their stems with time.
Calligunum comosumWhite Sauxal plant, highly adaptable to drylands ecosystem and a very hardy floraAcacia tortillas in BlossomBeautiful Shrubs for lawns that do not need any inputs
Pingback: Arabian Boxthorn (Lycium shawii), AWSAJ in Arabic – SUSTAINABLE FARMING FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
Pingback: The annual Brassicaceae erupted after a shower in the Arabian desert غريده – SUSTAINABLE FARMING FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
Pingback: The beautiful Morning Glory (Convolvulus cephalopods) in the desert of Alain UAE – SUSTAINABLE FARMING FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
Pingback: The desert’s plum – Rumex vesicarius found in Masaken area of Alain Abudhabi – SUSTAINABLE FARMING FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
Pingback: Why native flora diversity is better than monoculture forest for replantation – SUSTAINABLE FARMING FOR FOOD AND HEALTH
Pingback: Naturally breeding wild Pheasants of Jable Hafeeth, Alain UAE - ARKBIODIV.COM
Pingback: Why native flora diversity is better than monoculture forest for replantation - ARKBIODIV.COM