A desert plant is one that thrives in arid regions with little rainfall, storing water in its tissues or hollow center and reducing transpiration by total or seasonal leaflessness or a densely hairy, waxy, varnished, or otherwise modified leaf. Cacti are the most common desert plants; however, succulents, desert trees, grasses, and types of small shrubs and flowering bushes all grow well in deserts.

What are characteristics of a desert plant?

Some of the characteristics of a desert plant are

• Low Water Requirements. Desert plant survival depends on being able to exist on very little rainfall.
• Small or No Leaves. Moisture evaporates through leaves.
• Thorns. Many desert plants have needles or thorns.
• Ability to Quickly Absorb Water.

Let us look at some amazing and unique desert plants that can even grow in very harsh climate. Desert plants can be classified into three main categories: Cacti and Succulents, Wildflowers, and Trees, Shrubs, and Grasses. We’ve put together a handy desert plants list for each category that details the most popular plants in that category.

Succulents

Did you know that all cacti are succulents, but all succulents are not cacti? The possibilities for decorating your house and garden with these trendy plants are unlimited, thanks to their simplicity of care and huge diversity of shapes, sizes, and colours. It appears that you can grow succulents practically anyplace, from terrariums to your garden.

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Here is a list of 5 most popular succulents for your home and garden.

1. Ghost Plant

The ghost plant is one of the most commonly utilised succulent plants nowadays. You’ve probably seen succulent gardens and indoor terrariums, which have become increasingly popular in landscape and home decor. It’s scientific name is Graptopetalum paraguayense, and it’s one of the easiest succulent plants to look after. These plants can take on a variety of colours depending on how much sunlight they get, ranging from blue-gray to pinkish yellow. Its old leaves fall off when new rosettes emerge at the tips of its stalks. In the spring, you can see the ghost plant blooming with vivid yellow blossoms.

2. Pencil Plant

These succulents are commonly employed in drought-tolerant landscaping, or xeriscaping, and are a popular option among modern landscapers. When the plant, also known as Euphorbia tirucalli, is stressed, the plant’s green pencil-like sticks turn bright coral. Succulent stress can be caused by a variety of circumstances, such as the plant receiving little water, being too cold, or being planted in nutrient-deficient soil. Gardeners frequently deprive this succulent, as well as a variety of other succulents, of nutrients or water on purpose in order to encourage the plant to reveal its vibrant hues.

3. Burro’s Tail

The Burro’s Tail succulent, which is popular as a house plant, has long stems plaited with tear-dropped shaped leaves. They’re ideal for hanging baskets since their long stems dangle down to the ground. Green to blue-green in colour, with an ashy finish that gives the colours a muted tone. Because the leaves will burn if exposed to direct sunlight, keep your Burro’s Tail out of direct sunlight. The ideal lighting is partial sun or brightly lighted shade.

4. Paddle Plant

The paddle plant’s amusing nickname, red pancakes, comes from its huge, brilliant red, disk-shaped leaves. They grow in hardiness zones 9 to 11 and make a spectacular accent to any xeriscape garden. The paddle plant matures into a single blooming stalk from the middle. The paddle plant, like many other succulents, is a monocarpic plant, meaning it only produces flowers when it is towards the conclusion of its life cycle. The good news is that you can save your paddle plant by just snipping off the stem and replanting it!

5. Living Stone

Lithops, or living stones, are a prime illustration of evolution at its finest. These succulents have evolved to blend in with their surroundings while still defending themselves against predators. They appear to be little stones or pebbles at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, these stones reveal themselves to be living plants.

The plant’s formation is stripped down to just two leaves, which are welded together at the base where the root maintains them together, due to the harsh environment conditions. The plant can also store as much water as possible thanks to its thick stone-shaped leaves.

Wildflowers

In the parched desert terrain, desert wildflowers add a splash of colour. Despite having adapted to thrive in such hostile environments, their bloom cycles are particularly sensitive to a multitude of conditions, including the frequency of winter rainfall, mild temperatures, wind, and elevation. Although most desert wildflowers are known to be found solely in their natural habitat, several species can be modified for use in the home garden.

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Here is a list of 5 most popular windflowers for your home and garden.

1. California Poppy

This poppy is noted for its brilliant orange hue as the official state flower of California. It is native to the western United States, ranging from the Oregon coast to Baja California. The California poppy can be found in gardens, roadsides, and even empty lots in most states due to its popularity and ease of cultivation. This dicot’s petals open in the day and close at night. In California and other cooler coastal locations, it will bloom throughout summer. The flowers will die after blossoming in early spring in hotter summer locations, and the plant will remain dormant for the rest of the summer.

2. Winecup

This drought-tolerant wildflower blooms in the morning and closes in the evening, just like the poppy. Winecup is a perennial with cup-shaped flowers ranging from light pink to deep magenta in colour. This wildflower blooms from March to June and prefers well-drained sandy or rocky soil. It is commonly used as a bedding plant or for hanging baskets, where its long stems can flow over the side. This plant can be used medicinally as a natural pain reliever, which is an interesting information.

3. Desert Marigold

The name marigold comes from the golden flower’s early relationship with the Virgin Mary, when it was known as “Mary’s Gold.” The desert marigold is a native of the United States’ southwestern deserts. It blooms for a long time, from March to November, and is frequently spotted along roadsides, where it blankets the landscape in a thick yellow blanket. Flowering buds that have been sealed into a hard ball are typical. The symbiotic link between the desert marigold and the desert marigold moth larvae, which envelops the flower into a cocoon, is responsible for this.

4. Desert Sage

One of the most attractive desert wildflowers is the desert sage. These wildflowers stand out in any desert setting with their bright blue and purple blossoms and ice grey leaves. Desert sage can grow in extreme heat and nutrient-depleted soil with little rainfall. The desert sage is not suitable for fertile soil in most garden settings due to these features. It is, nevertheless, an excellent choice for a xeriscape or drought-tolerant desert garden because it attracts birds and butterflies.

5. Whitestem Paperflower

The delicate flower petals of the whitestem paperflower dry into paper after the flower dies. This flower, which is related to the daisy, blooms almost all year, from spring to fall, and thrives in hardiness zones 8-11. It has five petals on its bright yellow blossoms, and its stems can reach a height of 12 inches. The whitestem paperflower is native to the southwestern United States, where it can be found from southern California to northern Mexico in the states of Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.

Trees, Shrubs, and Grasses

Aside from cacti, succulents, and wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses make up the majority of the desert environment. This subgroup of desert plants, like cacti and succulents, requires little maintenance and grows slowly.
Trees are one of the tallest plant types in the desert, and they provide crucial shade and protection for other desert plants. Shrubs and grasses are well-suited to surviving the desert’s severe dry winds, with some shrubs reaching tree-like proportions.

Here we’ve outlined the top 5 most popular desert trees, shrubs, and grasses.

1. Palo Verde

This beautiful desert tree is recognised for its vivid yellow blossoms and stunning green trunk. The presence of chlorophyll accounts for the trunk’s green colour. Because the trunk contains so much chlorophyll, much of the tree’s photosynthesis takes place there. The Blue Palo Verde, which has a blue-green trunk, and the Foothills Palo Verde, which has a yellow-green trunk, are the two most prevalent types of Palo Verde trees.

2. Joshua Tree

Yucca brevifolia is the scientific name for the Joshua tree, which is the largest of the yucca species. This tree can only be found in the Mojave Desert and is extremely rare. This intriguing tree grows at a snail’s pace, only growing approximately 2-3 inches every year. A Joshua tree can take up to 60 years to mature, and it can survive for up to 150 years.

3. Tree Aloe

The tree aloe is found only in Africa, and it is the continent’s largest aloe species. It has dark green leaves that create dense rosettes with curved tips and sharp teeth. The tree, also known as Aloe barberae, has pink blossoms and blooms in June and July. The tree aloe, unlike many other desert trees, grows quickly. Tree aloe should be grown in a garden with plenty of space and away from surrounding structures.

4. Ocotillo

The ocotillo is a widespread desert shrub with a spiky, leaf-covered stem that bears brilliant red tubular-shaped blooms. This shrub’s finely serrated stem makes it a popular choice for garden fence. The Sonoran desert is home to this plant, which likes rocky terrain. From March through June is when it blooms. The ocotillo, sometimes known as Candlewood, can survive up to 60 years, with some studies claiming that some can live well over 100 years.

5. Mexican Thread Grass

Long thread-like leaves with feathered ends grow on this perennial. The leaves emerge from a central base and cascade outward and downward. The Mexican thread grass is a popular choice among landscapers because of its drought tolerance as well as its inherent pest resistance. It can be used as a border or ground cover, and while it reseeds, it isn’t aggressive and won’t take over your garden.

Source:

www.succulentsandmore.com

www.desertusa.com

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