Desert Plants
It’s difficult for plants to survive when there isn’t much rain. Some desert plants grow slowly and live a long time. Some of the oldest plants in the world live in deserts.
Desert plants have developed various ways to get as much water as possible and to reduce water loss:
- Some sprout only when it rains, bloom quickly, ripen their seeds in a few days, then whither and die.
- Others depend on underground water and grow roots up to 80 ft long, or branched roots over a wide area
- Some have fleshy stems or leaves to store water. These are called succulents.
- Tumbleweeds spread their seeds by dropping them as they are blown by the wind.
- The Elephant’s Food Plant from Madagascar stores water in its stem, which is swollen and stumpy at the bottom – like an elephant’s foot.
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