page_title: Flora of Qatar
section_title: Order: Malpighiales
hierarchical_section_title: Flora of Qatar / Taxonomy / Class: Magnoliopsida / Order: Malpighiales
caption_attribution_description: English: Large bush of Tetraena qatarense in a salty waste in the West Bay area of Doha, Qatar.
context_page_description: The flora of Qatar includes more than 300 species of wild plants.
  Qatar occupies a small desert peninsula that is around 80 km from east to west and 160 km from north to south. The climate is hot and humid with sporadic rain. Majority of the country is flat with an annual rainfall average of less than 3 inches. Arnebia hispidissim blooms yellow flowers annually in sandy soil. Glossonema edule has edible fruits with brownish-yellow flowers.
  Vegetation is extremely sparse in the hamada landscape due to the heavily weathered soil. A native species of tree, Vachellia tortilis is well adapted to the desert environment and one of the most common forms of vegetation in the country. Tetraena qatarensis and Lycium shawii also grow in this landscape.
  Shallow depressions referred to as rawdat constitute a more varied selection of plants since rainwater run-off is more likely to accumulate. Ziziphus nummularia favors deeper soil in this type of habitat, whereas the grass Cymbopogon parkeri is found in shallower soils. In the south of the peninsula, where groundwater is scarce, Panicum turgidum and V. tortilis grow in the wind-blown soils.
context_section_description: Family: Euphorbiaceae
  Genus: Mercurialis
  Mercurialis annua (introduced)
caption: A large bush of Tetraena qatarensis growing in a saline wasteland in the West Bay area of Doha
exif: {"Image Copyright": "ASergeev.com"}