A few Sahara Desert plants that are Edible

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Sahara desert plants are found in a remote region of the continent of Africa. Most people believe that this is the last place anyone would expect to find edible plants that make a good edible crop.

For residents, however, the natural Sahara desert plants that grow in the region can be either a business or a way to feed their families.

Either way, the plants are absolutely a part of the every day diet for the regions people and the following five play the largest role in daily diets.

• Orange trees: If you are like most people, you probably associate oranges with California or Florida. But the hot and dry regions of the Sahara also give rise to orange trees, particularly along the Nile River, and other oasis spots in the desert.

• Herbs: One of the most popular herbs in American kitchens is thyme, and the herb, along with many others, grows hardily in the Sahara desert. Bunches of it serve to feed the local animal life, however many Sahara residents grow thyme in their gardens to spice up their food.

• Fig trees: It’s almost hard to believe that delicious, moist figs grow in the harsh climate of the Sahara, but figs have been a staple of the Sahara diet for centuries.

• Magaria: These light brown fruits are roughly the size of a cherry. The people who live in Sahara region use dry magaria to make cakes.

• Olive trees: Despite being best known in regions such as Italy, the olive tree thrives alongside many spots next to the Nile River. The olive tree is the most versatile and important of desert plants, and is one of the most financially lucrative as well.

When considering Sahara desert plants, many of the more exotic plants come to mind. These include the cactus, or the wild, inedible gourds used to treat scorpion bites.

But for the inhabitants of the Sahara, some of the most important plants of the region are the ones they use in their daily diets.

The advantages sahara desert plants have over other desert plants

The Sahara desert is no exception to this policy, particularly in the months of July and August, when the rain fall comes fast and all at once.

The desert does not get a large amount of rain fall, but what it does receive hits the dry ground so suddenly that pockets of water large enough to be classified as ponds and rivers form, only to dry up quickly.

Animals and plant life take advantage of these seasonal water holes, relishing in the respite from a long dry season.

But the Sahara has one major advantage that other deserts do not. In addition to the seasonal water spots, the Sahara desert has a year-round constant source of water running from Sudan to Egypt.

This body source has been the cause for the birth of numerous African cities, and it is no surprise that many of the Saharan desert plants can be found growing in the oases found along the Nile River.

Along the banks of the Nile River, plants such as the lotus, papyrus, fig, date, and mulberry bush can be found.

Additionally, the most famous export from the Mediterranean, the olive tree, is among the Sahara desert plants that owe their growth to their close proximity to the Nile.

Not only does the Nile provide the kind of oasis needed for the spectacular plants that grow alongside the river, but growing within the Nile marshlands are an estimated 535 species of plants. These plants grow along the Nile river bottom and gather in the mouth of the deltas that led out to sea.

Overall, when considering the diversity of the Sahara desert plants, one cannot discount the importance of the Nile River. This rich source of water goes above and beyond the typical seasonal rivers found in most deserts, providing a rang from lush olive trees to swampy river vegetation.

Plant life found in the Sahara desert

The overall size of the Sahara is approximately the size of the United States, or 9,000,000 square kilometers. Naturally, an area this large features a diverse amount of flora and fauna.

While many believe that this vast area is one continuous stretch of sand dune after unending sand dune, in reality, that is not an accurate portrayal of the Sahara desert.

Many parts of the region are full of sand; it is an ecosystem known for the sand vipers, some of the quickest striking snakes in the world.

But in addition to the sand dunes, the Sahara also includes eight distinct ecosystems: the Atlantic coastal desert, North Saharan steppe and woodlands, Sahara desert, South Saharan steppe and woodlands, West Saharan montane xeric woodlands, Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands, Saharan halopytics, and the Tanezrouft.

These eight together make up “the Sahara,“ the grouping of the 9,000,000 square kilometers that is the largest of the hot deserts on Earth. Sahara desert plant life varies, depending on which individual ecosystem one is referring to.

The Atlantic coastal desert, as its name implies, is the strip of land that runs along the Atlantic coast of Africa. Though part of the desert, lichens, succulents, and shrubs are sustained by the life-giving moisture that comes in from the fog off the Atlantic ocean.

Another portion of the Sahara that borders the northern portion of the content is the North Saharan steppe and woodlands. This area is the northern most part of the desert, and is full of lush forests, woodlands, and shrubs.

The infamous sand dunes are found primarily in the region simply classified as the “Sahara desert.” However, both animals and vegetation are alive and well in this area, and the most common of the Saharan desert plants are the salt-loving halophytes.

The South Saharan steppe and woodlands see a full 100-200 mm of rain during the summer months, which is enough to sustain grasses, herbs, woodlands, and shrubs.

On the west coast of the African continent, the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands are a volcanic highland whose somewhat moister landscape gives rise to woodlands and shrubs.

Rather than refer to one region of the Sahara in particular, the Saharan halophytics refer to seasonal events, typically those occurring after a rain fall, where salt depressions give rise to Sahara desert plants that are particularly well adjusted to growing in salt. The only region of the Sahara to truly fit the picture of the harsh and lifeless Sahara desert is the Tanezrouft.

Still, although it is has no plant life, there are some very resilient life forms that call the place home, but it is still one of the most severe regions on the planet.

As you can probably see by the short list above, answering the question: what kind of Sahara desert plants are there is a difficult one and varies depending on which region of the Sahara we are referring to.

This should come to no surprise, considering that the space of the Sahara is bigger than the entire continent of Australia!

The most prevalent Sahara desert plants are...

Few people associate the kind of arid and dry climate that the Sahara desert is known for with the lush, wet atmosphere that typifies a swampland or marsh. Yet, when it comes to vegetation, one of the most prevalent Sahara desert plants are halophytes, a type of plant that is also quite common in marsh and swamplands.

Though the temperatures may be greatly different in two types of climates, halophytes grow well in the desert for the same reason that they thrive in swamplands. Both swamps and deserts feature soils, which are high in salt content.

High salt content would kill plants found in less hospitable climates, particularly those that are trying to thrive in a desert, because the high salt content soaks up those precious water reserves. With halophytes, however, this is not a concern, because the plants thrive in salty climates.

• There are two types of halophytes. The first of these are called facultative halophytes those plants that avoid growing during the high salt climates.

• These types of halophytes are more likely found in the marshlands and swamplands than the Sahara desert, as Sahara desert plants face a continual growing season, which is rich in salt.

Instead, the Sahara desert is home to “true,” or obligatory halophytes. The categories of halophytes have reproductive cycles that do not function only when the salt content is low.

Scientists believe that these true halophytes hold the key to our planet’s agricultural future. As global warming continues to threaten our ecosystem, and sea levels rise, it becomes increasingly essential that farmers be able to cultivate crops that can thrive in salt-water conditions.

As unbelievable as it might sound, many experts believe that the key lies in researching the growth cycles of the halophytes. Whether or not they become the key to solving a food shortage problem brought on by global warming, halophytes are definitely among the most versatile of the Sahara desert plants.

Further study would undoubtedly reveal additional scientific wonders from a plant that is able to withstand the harshness of intense temperatures - as well as the climate of the average swamp.

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