Usually when you think about what plants and trees need to survive, you think of moist, warm conditions. However that’s not the case for all plants. Desert plants have to endure harsh weather and have adapted to survive in these conditions.
Kokerboom trees are one example. Kokerboom trees use a strange method when it comes to collecting water. Their leaves and branches absorb the sea mist that covers them at night. The kokerboom tree can survive in the desert for more than 100 years. They are the only trees that can survive in the hottest regions of southwestern Africa.
Another desert survival technique is the one used by the Amaranth. Amaranth plants are green and rooted into the ground during summer. However, in fall, they detach their roots and dry into tumbleweeds. After detaching their roots, tumbleweeds roll around the desert, to spread their seeds. In addition to the Amaranth, the saguaro cactus, or “giant cactus”, also grows in the desert. The saguaro cactus is a type of plant that uses something called taproots to collect water. Taproots are roots that grow far down into the ground and form a circle that has a 100 foot diameter, which helps them collect rain. Saguaro cacti are found in the Sonora Desert in North America. They are the biggest plants found in the Sonora Desert.
It is amazing that even in the harshest regions of the world, plants not only survive, but expand and grow as well. These plants inhabit some of the most remote places on Earth and still find ways to survive.
[Sources:
Readers Digest; SSFP Archives
]
