Calligonum comosumArta

The Calligonum comosum, commonly known as the Arta, is a sand dune shrub of the Sahara and Arabia that carries almost no leaves, working instead through a mass of fine green jointed shoots. In spring it is covered with small cream flowers, followed by remarkable spherical fruits densely clothed in soft red bristles.

It is a foundation species of the Arabian sand deserts, rooting deeply into dune faces and holding them against the wind. Specifiers use it for dune stabilisation, desert restoration and native character planting where the fruit display is a genuine seasonal event.

Specifications

• Height1 to 3 metres
• Width1.5 to 3 metres
• Native toThe Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, on deep sand
• FoliageEffectively leafless; fine green jointed shoots carry out photosynthesis in place of leaves
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep, freely drained sand; established on active dunes and intolerant of heavy or wet ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; deeply drought-tolerant with roots reaching well down into the dune profile
• ClimateThrives in hot arid deserts with very low rainfall and high summer temperatures

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall cream flowers carried in profusion along the green shoots in spring
• FruitSpherical fruits densely clothed in soft red to pink bristles, produced in quantity and highly distinctive
• UsesSand dune stabilisation, desert restoration, native character planting, wind erosion control
• SpacingPlant 2 to 3 metres apart for a stabilising stand
• Low MaintenanceRequires no pruning or irrigation once established
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems
• Drought ToleranceExceptionally high, a true deep sand desert species
• Erosion ControlA primary dune-fixing shrub, used at scale in Arabian and Saharan sand stabilisation
• Seasonal AppealThe red bristly fruit display in late spring is one of the most striking events in the desert flora

The Arta holds a dune in place and then puts on a fruit display that no ornamental shrub in the palette can match.