Haloxylon ammodendron

Saxaulbaum, Mongolia ( Haloxylon ammodendron )

The Saxaul ( Haloxylon ammodendron ) is a species of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family of Amaranthaceae ( Amaranthaceae ). The Saxaul is a shrub of arid steppes and deserts of Central Asia. It is found from the Caspian Sea to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. He can form so-called " Saxaul forests ".

The basionym is Anabasis ammodendron C.A.Mey.

Description

The Saxaul is a two to four meters tall shrub or low tree. The leaves are very small, so the tree looks leafless. The wood is coarse and heavy; the bark is spongy and stores water.

Distribution and location

The Saxaul is widespread in many areas of Asia. His area stretching from the Urals, Kazakhstan and Iran to the east to Mongolia and China in the provinces or autonomous regions western Gansu, Inner Mongolia, northwestern Ningxia, northern Qinghai and Xinjiang.

Saxaulbäume grow on sand dunes, rock valleys and on hill slopes.

Ecology

The Saxaul often occurs in mass stocks, so that one can speak of " Saxaul forests ". In the South Mongolia alone cover these 45,000 square kilometers. This habitat provides various animal species such as the Saxaul Sparrow (Passer ammodendri ) a home.

Use

The water-storing cortex provides the nomads a way to water supply, while providing the tree firewood. The latter has, however, severely limited by rising oil and coal prices the spread.

The Saxaul is planted throughout Central Asia for floor mounting to stop the progressive desertification.

A parasitic plant on the roots of Saxaulbaumes is referred to by the Chinese as "desert ginseng" and used in traditional medicine.