30/05/2026
mum used to call my brother a pyromaniac when we were young, so chances are he’d love this plant. and thank god we didn’t grow up living near it or else he’d have reduced the Burj Khalifa to ashes.
turns out Bedouin had exactly the same idea anyway and they’d use this to help start fires with its dry, spindly twigs. essential when the desert temperature plummets at night.
you’ll see this plant perched on dunes and roadside across the gulf. it’d probably survive a nuclear apocalypse, except when you add just a touch of irrigation it can be exceptionally beautiful, especially the way the light passes through it, as well as the sweet scent of its delicate yellow flowers.
it has a root zone big enough to source water for 4 years without rain. that’s pretty rad actually.
our hope is that we start to see these often ignored desert plants for their resilience, utility, and beauty so they become known across our cityscapes and gardens.
have you seen this plant around the UAE and GCC?
