Nitraria roborowskii Seeds | Nitraria
LATIN NAME: Nitraria roborowskii
COMMON NAME: Nitraria, Roborowski’s Nitraria
Plant Profile
Nitraria roborowskii, better known as Nitraria, is a dense, spreading, deciduous shrub in the nitraria family (Zygophyllaceae), native to dry, saline regions and deserts of the east and the central Asia, while it has been used for soil stabilization and the forage. Mature plants top out at about Two metres. Each of these traits is modest on its own; together they make a garden-worthy plant.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the nitraria family, Nitraria roborowskii is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Nitraria has a real and distinguished place in research. A long cultivation history means growers know what to expect from it.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Nitraria for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. To raise nitraria, sow seeds in pots of sandy, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep them gently watered, and grow little shrubs on in the sun. Nitraria roborowskii Kom: Uses, Benefits, and Its Resilient Beauty in Arid Lands During a trip to desert grasslands of Gansu a few years ago, I came across a shrub that caught my eye amid dry, sandy landscape. Mature plants need little attention in a well-chosen position.
Nitraria is a salt-desert shrub bearing small edible berries, a survival and forage plant of Central Asia now planted for saline-land restoration.
Growing from Seed
Raising Nitraria from seed is straightforward. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Nitraria group, true to type from seed. Careful watering early on is rewarded by toughness at maturity.
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