The vegetation growing in the Eastern Desert is classified as either ephemeral or perennial. Ephemeral vegetation are plants which usually have a single season lifespan due to their dependence on rain. Perennial plants live for two or more years.
Coastal vegetation There are three main ecosystems within the coastal region of the Eastern Desert: littoral
salt marsh, coastal desert and coastal mountains. The presence of sea spray, tidal movements and salt water seepage means that vegetation in these areas must be well adapted to living in a saline environment.
Littoral salt marsh The salt marsh is created as mud builds up on tidal flats and plants grow on the mud, making it a more stable and permanent ecosystem. The two main types of vegetation in this area are mangrove and salt marsh vegetation.
Avicennia marina, or grey mangrove is the dominant mangrove plant in the Red Sea area. It grows consistently along a large stretch of the Red Sea coast but is rarely seen to the North of the Egyptian city,
Hurghada. Rhizophora mucronata, or loop-root mangrove, also grows co-dominantly with
A.Marina in some areas along the coast but it is less prevalent. The loop-root mangrove is taller than the grey mangrove and thus, in areas where they do grow together, they form a two-tiered canopy of leaves. Small plants such as
Cymodocea ciliata and
Halophila oualis typically form the undergrowth of the mangrove community.
Salt marsh The salt marsh vegetation is made up of a mix of shrub, succulent and grass species. The growth of these plants often creates the coastal dunes as the root systems hold the sand in place when other areas are left exposed to wind erosion. Shrub communities •
Halocnemum strobilaceum is a woody sub-shrub which grows in the mud flats and on the sandy shoreline. It is most common on the northern section of the coast, near the Gulf of Suez. •
Arthrocaulon macrostachyum (syn.
Arthrocnemum glaucum) is a flowering shrub which grows in similar areas to
H. strobilaceum but is less prevalent in the North. •
Limonium pruinosum, also known as a species of sea lavender, grows commonly around the Gulf of Suez. Also from this family, the species of
Limonium axillare contributes to up to 50% of vegetation cover on the South coast. •
Tamarix nilotica is a bush which grows in a variety of conditions along the Red Sea coast. The roots stabilise the sand to form dunes. Succulent communities •
Zygophyllum album is a frequently occurring succulent community which is tolerant to different soil conditions and thus, is found all along the coast. •
Halopeplis perfoliata is a succulent species which commonly grows in the southern region of the Red Sea coast. •
Nitraria retusa and
Suaeda monoica are succulent shrubs commonly located within the northern 700 km of the coast. They are separate communities but they grow together in the same area and they extend inland to the coastal desert plain area. •
Suaeda monoica grows in similar areas to
N.retusa, however it is also found further south and is a common feature of the Eritrean and Sudanese coastal regions. Grass communities •
Aeluropus brevifolius and
Aeluropus lagopoides are two related species of creeping grasses which usually grows in dense patches all along the coast but are also known to form tall masses of interwoven roots and sand. •
Sporobolus spicatus, also known as salt grass, grows inland from
A.brevifolius and
A.lagopoides where sand deposits are deeper and the soil is less saline. •
Halopyrum mucronatum grows on hills and sand dunes. It is rare and is only found in a few locations along the coast.
Coastal desert Coastal desert vegetation grown in the band between the littoral salt marsh and the base of the coastal mountains. In comparison to the littoral salt marsh area, the soil is non-saline and arid. The growing vegetation relies on the drainage of water from the mountains via wadis. As a result, growth of plants is seasonal, unlike in the littoral salt marsh. A greater variety of vegetation also grows in the area compared to the salt marsh area. The ephemeral vegetation includes a mix of grasses, succulents and herbaceous plants. Perennial vegetation is made up of succulents, grasses and woody shrub species.
Coastal mountains The vegetation cover on the coastal mountains is more dense than on the coastal desert. There are over 400 plant species within the coastal mountains eco-system, including shrubs, herbs and ferns. The distribution of these species varies subtly as the altitude changes.
Inland desert The plants which grow on the inland plateaus vary greatly in their distribution and species due to the difference in sandstone and limestone rock bases and the varying amount of rain and runoff water from the wadis. == Fauna ==