Shrubs

After a strip of sterile soil two to five km wide behind the mangrove forests is a salt bush community dominated by Sueda fruticosa and Salsola spinescens. On mobile sand dunes, grasses such as Panicum turgidum and Odyssaea mucronata and shrubs like Leptadenia pyrotecnica have an important role as sand binders.

In the Tihama region, south of Wadi Zabid, an Acacia-Commiphora bushland is frequently present, dominated by small trees of Acacia hamulosa, A. ehrembergiana, Commiphora myrrha and C. gileadensis.

On the steep slopes, especially the rocky and stony soils of the lower regions of the escarpment, the hillsides are covered by a bushland where Acacia mellifera, A. asak and Commiphora spp. are the dominant species. A shrub layer consisting mainly of Acalypha fruticosa, Adenium obesum, Anisotes trisulchus and Graewia tembensis is also found and succulents like Cissus quadrangularis, Caralluma russelliana and Aloe spp. are common.

On the stony and rocky high mountain slopes, the dominant plant formations are alpine pastures rich in forbs and grasses where Pennisetum setaceum and Dianthus uniflorus are common.

The most important plant formation on the very dry stony and rocky slopes of the eastern mountains is a semi-desert drought-deciduous open shrubland with a few evergreen plants and succulents such as Caralluma petraea, Farsetia longisiliqua, Lycium shawii and Euphorbia balsamifera. Some isolated trees of Acacia tortilis, A. hamulosa and Commiphora spp. grow where more runoff is available.

last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2004