11 NATIVE HERBS FOR SAUDI ARABIAN LANDSCAPES.

This is a special post since I normally only post on Mondays, but a reader liked my last post about using herbs for landscaping, and asked about landscape herbs for Saudi Arabia. As I didn’t have the answer right off, but love doing research, I told her I would see what I could find. I found 11 herbs native to Saudi Arabia, an important feature, as it stands to reason native plants would survive better than introduced species.

1. Asphodelus fistulous – 30cm tall, Seed, (A), Sun/Pt.Shade, Flowering stem with many white star-shaped flowers, sandy soil, tolerates salinity, must be irrigated, wind resistant, frost tolerant, attractive carpet when massed.
2. Bacopa monnieri – Creeping, Plant (Cuttings), (P), Shade/Sun, white bell-shaped flowers, wet areas, wind resistant, frost tolerant, fast-growing ground cover.
3. Blepharis cilaris (Acanthaceae) – 30cm tall, Seed, (P), Sun, blue flowers, well-drained sandy and stony areas, drought tolerant, wind resistant, frost tolerant, mass plant.
4. Cressa cretica – Low-growing, Seed, (P), Sun, small white fragrant flowers,  sandy/silty soil, high salinity tolerance, drought resistant, wind resistant, frost tolerant, mat-like growth useful in saline areas.
5. Datura stramonium – Bush 60-150cm, (A) Sun, showy white trumpet like flowers, foul-smelling, sandy/silty soil, drought tolerant, needs wind protection, frost tolerant, mass plant, fruit toxic.
6. Gynandriris sisyrinchium - .5m tall, Plant/Cuttings, (P), Shade/sun, interesting lilac-blue or purple flowers, moist, well-drained, nutrient rich soil, needs regular irrigation, wind resistant, frost tolerant, forms dense mat.  
7. Heliotropium bacciferum – 40cm. tall, Seed, (P), Sun, small white flowers, sandy/silty soil, high salinity tolerant, drought tolerant, wind resistant, frost tolerant, excellent mounding plant.
8. Lippia nodiflora – Creeping, Rooted stem cuttings, (P), Sun/pt.shade, tiny white or pink flowers, sandy soil, low salinity tolerance, water demanding, wind resistant, frost causes die-back, good visual substitute for grass but will not tolerate much trampling.
9. Limonium axillare (Sea Lavender) – Spreading shrub 30-40cm tall, Seed, Sun, many small pink or purplish flowers, sandy/silty soil, high salinity tolerance, drought tolerant but best if soil kept moist, wind resistance, killed by frost, withstands salt spray, useful in coastal areas.
10. Pancratium maximum – 30cm tall, Bulbs, (P), Sun, spectacular white flowers, well-drained sandy soil, low salinity tolerance, water demanding, wind resistant, frost tolerant, gorgeous effect when mass planted and allowed to naturalise.
11. Portulaca oleracea – 20cm tall, Rooted stem cuttings, Sun/pt.shade, clusters of small yellow flowers, sandy/silty soil, medium salinity tolerance, drought tolerant, wind resistant, frost tolerant, useful ground cover.

SOURCE: (1) Native and Introduced Species for Naturalistic Landscape in                   Saudi Arabia.  Geoff Ricks, Dept. of Landscape Architecture, School of             Environmental Design, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz                           University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

 (2) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This was an interesting project and I learned a bit about Saudi Arabia in the process. For instance, I always pictured Saudi Arabia as a hot, dry, desert land, but when you read about the native plants you find out that some require water, some are frost tolerant, some grow best in shade, etc. This gives you an entirely different picture and that's why I love doing research. You always find out something new and interesting.

Lenie