Wüstendattel
The extensive sandy coastal plain (the Tihamah) is a hot and inhospitable area parallel to the Red Sea, and most of it, north of Zabid (Yemen), is devoid of trees. However, in a few places there is dense shrub composed almost exclusively of "Acacia ehrenbergiana" and it may be assumed that this was originally the dominant natural vegetation of the Tihamah. "Salvadora persica" occurs in thickets, and there are odd trees of "Balanites aegyptiaca" and colonies of wild doum palm ("Hyphaene thebaica"), as well as planted date palms ("Phoenix dactylifera").