Here is one of the most important gobi desert plants
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One of the most important gobi desert plants is the sexaul.In many parts of the desert region, it is the only plant that can be found in the Gobi Desert and it holds many uses for other animals, nomads, and cities. The saxaul is a tree whose bark holds water. The bark can be pressed for additional water supplies. Though the Gobi desert is a cold desert, water is nonetheless a rare resource.
Currently the Gobi is undergoing an increased rate of an expansion caused through deforestation, overgrazing by natural animal life, global warming, and the general depletion of natural water resources.
With the Gobi growing at an increasingly accelerated rate, this additional water resource is a very precious one.
For nomads, the saxaul is the only source of water and heat that they can find in the otherwise sparse desert. Since the Gobi is a cold desert, having a source of heat is an absolute survival must for anyone traveling in the frigid landscape. It is not at all unusual to see the dunes in the Gobi covered with frost or snow, to give an indication of how cold it can get in the Gobi. Humans also use the saxaul through harvesting the parasitic plant growing on the roots of the saxaul. Many Chinese medicine practioners believe that the parasitic plant gives energy, much like ginseng. Other than humans, the Gobi is home to a variety of animals, including wolves, camels, bears, oxen, wild horses, snow leopards, gazelles, and camels. All of these animals depend on the saxaul either for food and water, or for providing that food and water to their prey. Although the saxaul is not the only plant to grow in the Gobi desert, it is one of the most important ones. Along with saltwort, gray sagebrush, and low lying grasses, these plants help make up one of the largest ecosystems in the Asian regions.
When discussing Gobi desert plants, accuracy depends upon which region of the Gobi you are referring to. There are five distinct eco-regions in the Gobi desert: the Eastern Gobi desert steppe, the Alashan Plateau semi-desert, the Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe, the Junggar Basin semi-desert, and the Tian Shan range. The Eastern Gobi desert steppe covers the area of China from the Inner Mongolian Plateau upwards to Mongolia. Though the water fall is quite sparse in this region, many plants do continue to thrive, nonetheless. These plants include wild garlic, saxaul, saltwort, wild grasses, wormwood, and Ephedra. Additionally, there is a wild onion that is said to have a hazelnut flavor. This wild onion, the taana, is a mainstay of many herding animals of the region. The Alashan Plateau semi-desert is the southwestern most portion of the desert. This region of the Gobi is home primarily to the saxaul, though it does have a few other wild grasses and herbs growing, all of which are dwarf-sized. These other plants include convolvulvus, acacia, and field wormwood. The Junggar Basin semi-desert consists primarily of two mountain rages, the Kuruk-tagh and the Chol-tagh. Much of this ecoregion is composed of barren sand and areas known as the Salt Desert. This area of the Gobi desert has the least amount of vegetation out of the entire Gobi region. Plant life is very scarce in the Junggar Basin semi-desert region. The continuing presence of the saxaul plant, reeds, tamarisks, Ephedra, and poplars are sparsely found in this region. The remaining eco-regions of the Gobi desert include the Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe and the Tian Shan range. These areas have more vegetation than the Junggar Basin, often housing many types of wild grasses and herbs. Still, the mainstay of the Gobi desert in these regions is the saxaul. Overall, the most common of the Gobi desert plants is the saxaul. It is a plant that thrives in all five of the eco-regions of the Gobi, though many other wild grasses and herbs typically make up the flora of the Gobi in these regions as well.
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