Haloxylon persicumWhite Saxaul

The Haloxylon persicum, commonly known as the White Saxaul, is a small, gnarled, effectively leafless tree of the sand deserts of Arabia, Iran and central Asia. Pale whitish bark carries a fine tracery of drooping green jointed branchlets that do the work of leaves, giving the whole plant a soft, smoky outline.

It is one of the great desert stabilisation species, used across central Asia and Arabia to fix moving sand and to build shelter for other planting. It is slow, extremely long-suffering and unmistakable as a specimen.

Specifications

• Height2 to 5 metres, occasionally to 7 metres on favourable dune ground
• Width2 to 4 metres
• Native toThe sand deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia
• FoliageEffectively leafless; fine drooping green jointed branchlets photosynthesise in place of leaves
• Growth rateSlow

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep, freely drained sand; established on dunes and sand sheets and intolerant of heavy or waterlogged ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; among the most drought-enduring woody plants in the region, drawing on deep sand moisture
• ClimateThrives in hot arid continental deserts and tolerates severe winter cold as well as extreme summer heat

Additional Features

• FormGnarled, low-branched frame with pale bark and a fine smoky canopy of green branchlets
• UsesSand dune fixation, desert restoration and shelter belt establishment, native character specimen planting
• SpacingPlant 4 to 6 metres apart in stabilisation planting, or singly as a specimen
• Low MaintenanceRequires no pruning or feeding; the main risk in cultivation is overwatering
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems
• Drought ToleranceExceptionally high, and the reason it is used as the primary species in desert afforestation programmes
• Erosion ControlA principal sand-fixing tree, used at scale to arrest dune movement
• LongevityLong-lived and slow, developing character in the trunk over decades

The White Saxaul is a desert afforestation species first and an ornamental second, but a mature specimen is a striking thing in its own right.