Humid Pampas

The Espinal forms a broad arc of dry, thorny country across the interior of central Argentina, running from central Santa Fe through Córdoba to the north of San Luis, within the Neotropic realm's temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands. Its name means "thorny shrubland," and the vegetation is a mosaic of deciduous xerophytic woodland, palm groves, grassy savannas and bushy steppe, with mature stands dominated by Prosopis (the algarrobos, and the largely endemic caldén) alongside Acacia, hackberries (Celtis) and chañar (Geoffroea). The northern reaches are warm and humid with summer rains, grading drier and more variable toward the south. The ecoregion shelters threatened birds such as the yellow cardinal and Chaco eagle, and its Mar Chiquita Lake and Dulce River swamps are a Ramsar wetland that is key habitat for Neotropical birdlife. Centuries of cattle ranching and expanding irrigated agriculture have left the original woodland in scattered remnants, making the caldén forests a particular conservation concern.

The Low Monte, also known as the Argentine Monte, is an arid scrubland ecoregion stretching across north-central Argentina along the eastern foothills of the Andes, running from Salta Province in the north to Chubut Province in the south. Its open flats are dominated by resinous evergreen shrubs of the family Zygophyllaceae, especially the creosote-bush genus Larrea along with Bulnesia and Plectocarpa, mingled with mesquite (Prosopis) and thin gallery forests that trace the rivers. This is one of the driest parts of the country, with a cold arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) and scant annual rainfall of roughly 80 to 250 millimeters. The region shelters guanaco, puma, and the endangered southern river otter as its flagship species, though the World Wildlife Fund rates it Vulnerable, with only about 5 percent under protection and large areas degraded by overgrazing and deforestation. For dry-climate gardeners, the native Larrea (creosote bush) and Prosopis (mesquite) are well suited to low-water, xeric plantings.

The Patagonian Steppe stretches across the Patagonia region of Argentina from the Atlantic coast into southwestern Chile, and also reaches the Falkland Islands, covering low mountains, plateaus, and plains. Its vegetation is xerophytic and shaped by drought, wind, and grazing, with dwarf and cushion shrubs the most widespread cover; characteristic genera include Nassauvia, Verbena, and Benthamiella, taller shrubs such as Berberis, Schinus, and Anarthrophyllum, and bunchgrasses of Poa and Stipa. The climate is very dry and cold, bringing winter snowfall, near year-round frosts, and annual precipitation that typically averages less than 200 millimeters. The steppe supports high endemism in plants and animals and is the stronghold of the critically endangered hooded grebe, though desertification from overgrazing, chiefly by sheep, is its primary threat. For gardeners working cold, dry, wind-exposed sites, the region's native Berberis and Schinus point toward hardy, drought- and wind-tolerant shrubs.

The Al-Hajar foothill xeric woodlands and shrublands wrap around the lower flanks of Arabia's Hajar Mountains, spanning Oman and the United Arab Emirates from Jalan Bani Buhassan in southern Oman north to Khasab and the area south of the Musandam peninsula. Below the cooler montane belt, this is a hot, hyper-arid country of rocky slopes and gravel plains, where Acacia tortilis is the dominant tree and the Al Saleel area holds one of the largest tracts of Acacia in Arabia. Wadis that hold a little more moisture support ghaf, wild almond, Wonderboom fig, and Christ's thorn jujube. Despite the harsh conditions the ecoregion carries a high proportion of rare and endemic species and remains a stronghold for the Arabian tahr, its flagship animal, alongside Arabian gazelle, caracal, and Blanford's fox. For gardeners in similar dry climates, its drought-hardy natives such as Acacia and jujube point to plants suited to heat and scarce rainfall.

The Al-Hajar montane woodlands and shrublands cover the highest reaches of the Hajar Mountains in eastern Arabia, spanning portions of northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates above roughly 1,200 metres, including the summit area around Jebel Shams. Vegetation shifts with elevation: olive and Sideroxylon (Monotheca) woodlands occupy the lower montane belt, while open woodlands of Zeravschan juniper (Juniperus seravschanica) characterize the high peaks, often mixed with wild olive and watered by acacias and figs along seasonal watercourses. Despite being wetter than the surrounding foothills, it remains a mountain desert with low annual rainfall, hot summers, and cool winters that bring occasional rain, hail, and snow to the highest ground. The juniper woodlands are a botanical stronghold, holding a large share of Oman's total flora along with a number of endemic plant taxa, and the range shelters the endemic Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) plus several endemic lizards; overgrazing by goats and camels and climate-driven juniper decline are leading conservation concerns. For gardeners, the native flora here illustrates how junipers and olives can anchor a drought-tolerant, cold-snap-resilient mountain planting.

The Alai–Western Tian Shan steppe stretches across the lowland and loess plains at the western foot of the Tien Shan and Alay mountains in Central Asia, spanning parts of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. It belongs to the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, where ephemeroid herb and grass vegetation dominates alongside coniferous Juniperus woodlands and relict fruit and nut forests; characteristic steppe plants include bulbous meadow-grass (Poa bulbosa), sedges (Carex), wormwoods (Artemisia), and wild ryes (Elymus). The climate is sharply continental, with hot, dry summers, mild winters, a wide annual temperature swing, and only modest precipitation. The region is botanically rich, with more than 2,000 recorded plant species, and it serves as a recognized centre of crop diversity holding important wild relatives of cultivated plants; the critically endangered Saiga antelope is its flagship animal. For gardeners, the area's native junipers and its wealth of wild fruit and nut relatives reflect a flora long tied to cultivation.