#saxaul

[meanchildren]

[collectiveofanimals]

Black Saxaul

Haloxylon ammodendron

Haloxylon translates into salt wood, while ammodendron means sand tree.

Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth Family)

Fun Fact: "The mature plant produces minuscule yellow flowers. It has leaves so small that they may not be readily apparent-- an adaptation that helps minimize the loss of moisture through evaporation in the desert environment. According to authorities, A. Shahbazi, K. Nosrati, and G. R. Zehtabian, the saxaul uses its succulent stems for photosynthesis."(Source)

Habitat: They are endemic to the Gobi Desert (Iran to Central Asia)

[ninewhitebanners]

Saxaul is the only tree that grows in the Mongolian Gobi desert, and the wood is so dense and hard it does not float in water.

Not Mongolian, but funny history anyway: in 1851, Vasily Perovsky ordered the commander of Fort Aralsk to collect as much saxaul as possible to burn to power Russian imperial steamships. Unfortunately for the Imperial Navy, saxaul is crooked and lumpy and was impossible to stack in large quantities in steamships or fit into boilers. The imperial navy had to ship coal by caravan instead, which was so expensive they got rid of a bunch of the ships.