Haloxylon persicum seed

LATIN NAME: HALOXYLON PERSICUM

COMMON NAME: Persian Saxaul

In the drifting sands and the salt flats of the dry interior, the Persian saxaul grows as a shrub or small tree with the slender, jointed, grey-green, almost leafless stems and the small, scale-like leaves, the tiny, inconspicuous flowers and the small, winged fruits following. Growth is steadily, the plant forming a bushy, spreading clump that reaches 1-2 metres. Plant it in full sun with poor, sandy ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Persian saxaul comes up in the studies of the desert trees of the dry interior, its jointed leafless stems and its winged fruits keeping it in view in the work on the sand-fixing trees of the great deserts and the drought-resistant plants of the region. The research looks at the way the jointed stems cut the water loss, the winged fruits scatter on the wind, and the seed biology of the short-lived seeds.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the desert planting and the sand dune, the Persian saxaul anchors the drifting sand with its deep roots and gives the fuel wood of the dry lands, the great sand-fixer of the interior. The tough tree stands the harshest climate of the region, and the tree makes the fine sand-fixing tree, the desert plant and the tree of the hot, dry garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and sandy place.

To grow the Persian Saxaul from seed, sow the fine seeds on the surface of sandy, salty soil at once.

Sow the fine seeds on the surface of sandy, salty soil at once, and keep the young saxauls in the open, sunny spot. The jointed stems cut the drought.

LATIN NAME: Haloxylon persicum

COMMON NAME: White Saxaul

White saxaul is a tree of the deep desert, and it has learned to live where almost nothing else can. The plant becomes an open, airy crown, reaching three to four metres. The bark is pale and papery, which gives the tree its common name, and it has a tough, weathered, ancient look, as if it has stood against the wind for a very long time, which it usually has. It is a remarkable tree of the sand seas of central Asia.

White saxaul belongs to the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, and it is native to the deserts of central Asia, from Iran and Central Asia to northwestern China, where it grows on sandy plains and dunes. It is one of the most important trees of the desert, holding shifting sands and providing fuel and forage where nothing else grows.

Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide

Growing white saxaul from seed is a specialists pleasure, and it is genuinely possible. The seeds are small and short-lived, so sow them fresh. They need warmth and light to germinate, so sow them on the surface of a tray of very free-draining, sandy compost, press them in gently, and keep them in a warm, bright spot, watering sparingly, since the young plants hate wet feet. Germination usually begins within one to three weeks. Grow the seedlings on in pots of sandy soil in a sunny, dry position, and plant them out once established in very well-drained ground. White saxaul is a slow, tough tree that asks for sun, sand and little else, and raising one from seed is a small triumph that few gardeners can claim.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

White saxaul is a major subject of desert ecology and reforestation research. It is one of the most important sand-fixing trees in central Asia, and scientists have studied its remarkable tolerance of drought, heat and extreme cold, its deep root systems and its ability to stabilise shifting dunes. Large-scale reforestation programs have been built around it, using the tree to hold desert margins, protect roads and railways from sand, and restore degraded grazing land. Its growth, water use and regeneration are monitored in desert research stations, and it is a model species for understanding how plants survive in the worlds driest habitats. For a tree of the sand seas, white saxaul carries an impressive and vitally practical record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, white saxaul is a guardian of the desert. Its roots bind shifting sands and hold dunes in place, it provides shade and shelter for desert wildlife, and its growth creates islands of life in some of the most barren landscapes on earth.

Its economic value is great in its homeland. The wood is a prized fuel in the desert, where firewood is scarce, and it has long been used for building and fencing. The tree is also a valuable forage for camels and other livestock, and it is planted on a vast scale for sand fixation, erosion control and land restoration. For anyone working in arid lands, white saxaul is one of the most valuable trees on earth, and for a gardener it is a rare and remarkable plant with a story worth telling.