Nara Desert, Sindh, Pakistan:

Part III: Range Types and Their

Plant Resources
Feature
By Subtitle
Rahmatullah Qureshi and G. Raza Bhatti
Introduction
Feature Author sandy plain that is desolate and barren. Four types of plant
Nara Desert, the northern part of Thar Desert (Fig. 1), is groups were observed in this area and are described below on
characterized by high wind velocity, massive shifting and roll- the basis of their growth and habitats performance:1
ing sand dunes, high diurnal variation of temperature, scanty 1. True Xerophytes
rainfall, extreme solar radiation, and high rates of evapotrans- • Succulence.
piration. It receives between 88–135 mm of rainfall every • Covered with trichomes.
year, mostly between July and September. The sandy soils of • Reduce the size and length of transpiring parts (ie,
the desert have a rapid infiltration rate of water, poor fertility, leaves), leaflessness, etc. Includes Haloxylon stocksii,
low organic matter due to hasty oxidation, and high salinity. Arthrocnemum indicum, Saueda fruticosa, Salsola imbri-
All these conditions are very hostile for the existence of life, cata, Aerva spp., and Glinus lotoides.
although large human and livestock populations inhabit the 2. Semi-xerophytes
area. This desert is highly fragile with poor primary producer • Plants which grow in arid climate in the presence of
but large responsibility (ie, the consumers cause severe ob- sufficient amount of precipitation. Includes Acacia
struction in its ecological regeneration). nilotica, Calotropis procera, Heliotropium europium, H.
The word desert gives the notion of a vast, lifeless, undu- currasavicum, and Withania somnifera. These plants
lating area of sand. The Nara region does not concur with grow mostly on the periphery of the desert.
this popular conception. It is not a perpetual elongation of 3. Pseudo-xerophytes
sand dunes devoid of life or vegetation. During the rainy sea- • Ephemerals which complete their life cycle within
son, it blooms with a colorful range of trees and grasses. It 6−8 weeks before the advent of summer. Includes
transforms into lush green with the slightest amount of pre- Neurada procumbense, Mollugo spp., Gisekia pharan-
cipitation because the soil is full of dormant seeds of various coides, Cleome brachycarpa, Boerhavia procumbense, and
species, which germinate with little moisture. grasses like Eragrostis minor, Stipagrostis plumosa, and
Aristida spp.
Vegetation 4. Hydrophytes
The vegetation in the Nara Desert region is sparse, consist- • Plants which live in water or in very moist habitat.
ing mainly of stunted, thorny, or prickly shrubs and peren- Includes Cyperus rotundus, Fimbristylis dichotoma,
nial herbs capable of drought resistance. Trees are few and Phragmites karka, Saccharum bengalense, and Typha
scattered. The ephemerals come up during the rainy season, spp.
completing their life cycle before the advent of summer, and
the bulk of the area is once more transformed into an open, Range Types and Their Plant Resources
During a survey from 1998–2001, 5 distinct range types were
constructed from the Nara Desert, Pakistan, based on topo-
This article has been peer reviewed. graphical features and plant resources.2 In addition, a sixth

26 Rangelands
 A view of crest range showing sparse vegetation.

ligonum polygonoides (Phog), Aerva javanica (Booh), Dipte-

rygium glaucum (Phair), Crotalaria burhia (Chagg), Prosopis
cineraria (Kandi), Tamarix aphylla (Lao), Capparis decidua
(Kirar), Salvadora oleoides ( Jaar), Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Kh-
ipp), Aristida spp. (Lumb Gaah), Limeum indicum (Dhoor
Chhapri), and Stipagrostis plumosa (Lumb Gaah) growing in
crest, slope and flat range types. Saline/sodic land and wet-
land ranges possess halophytic and hydrophytic characteris-
tic features.

Crest Range
Sand dunes comprise the main characteristic features of
the study area. Topography of this range varies from undulat-
ing to moderately steep with elevation from 70–120 m. These
sand dunes are very excessively drained. Most of the area is
barren and only 18 plant species (12% of the total flora of the
Nara Desert) are recorded from this range type. These plants
can be regarded as sand-loving and have specialized adapta-
tion for survival on sand dunes. The composition of the plant
community of this range includes Calligonum polygonoides,
Aerva javanica, Dipterygium glaucum, Limeum indicum, In-
digofera argentea, Tribulus longipetalus, Aristida adscensionis,
A. funiculata, Panicum turgidum, Lasiurus sindicus, Stipagrostis
plumosa, Cyperus arenarius, and C. conglomeratus.

Figure 1. Map of Pakistan showing the location of the Nara Desert.

type (Hilly Tract) was also identified1 and will be discussed

in a separate paper.
A total of 145 species belonging to 101 genera and 41
families were recorded during the report period. Species
composition in the different range types showed differences
in species richness. The highest species richness of 72% is
recorded from flat range type. Crest range possessed fewer
species as compared to the rest of the range types. The veg-
etation over this major area is characterized by xerophytic
adaptation. The most common plants in this desert are Cal- Slope range showing mixed vegetation of trees and shrubs.

February 2007 27
Flat habitat showing thick pockets of trees of Tamarix aphylla and Pro- Saline sodic land range showing stunted vegetation.
sopis cineraria.

are recorded from this range. The most common plants of

Slopes/Swale/Flank Range this range are Tamarix indica, Saccharum spontaneum, Salsola
This range type supports plant species similar to those imbricata, Pluchea lanceolata, Prosopis cineraria, Limeum indi-
supported by the crest range. A total of 32 species (22% of cum, Aeluropus lagopoides, Desmostachya bipinnata, and Alhagi
the total flora of the Nara Desert) were recorded from this maurorum.
range, including a few trees like Prosopis cineraria, Tamarix
aphylla, Salvadora oleoides, and Capparis decidua. The com- Lake/Wetland Range
mon plants that form the typical vegetation type of this range Seepage has created wetlands on both banks of the Nara
type are Calligonum polygonoides, Aerva javanica, Dipterygium Canal. The extent of the wetland (locally called Dhand) sole-
glaucum, Limeum indicum, Indigofera argentea, Tribulus lon- ly depends upon the water availability in the Nara Canal.3
gipetalus, Aristida adscensionis, A. funiculata, Panicum turgi- Nearly 40 lakes are observed in the study area. There were 17
dum, Lasiurus sindicus, Stipagrostis plumosa, Cyperus arenairus, species (12% of the total flora of the Nara Desert) growing
and C. conglomeratus. in this range type. The edges of lakes are dominated by un-
destroyed plant communities consisting of common species
Sandy Plains Range (Tar-Tarai/ Low-lying Flat Area) in this range like Saccharum bengalense, S. spontaneum, and
The sandy plains range occurs in low-lying flat areas be- Tamarix passernioides. Aeluropus lagopoides, Cynodon dactylon,
tween sand dunes. This range type supports a mixed popula- Desmostachya bipinnata, and Phragmites karka are also com-
tion of tall and old trees of Prosopis cineraria, Tamarix aphylla, mon species in this range. These plants typify emergent veg-
and Capparis decidua presenting a forested look. The highest etation, which has its roots in soil covered or saturated with
diversity of species was recorded from this range with 105 water and its leaves held above water.
species (72% of the total flora of the Nara Desert). The most
common plant species included Aerva javanica, Aristida ad- Conclusion
scensionis, A. funiculata, Boerhavia procumbense, Calligonum Dune lands and slopes are dominated by the tussock grasses
polygonoides, Capparis decidua, Cassia italica, Cenchrus ciliaris, Panicum turgidum and Lasiurus sindicus. These species were
Cleome brachycarpa, C. scaposa, Corchorus depressus, Cymbo-
pogon jawarancusa, Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus rotundus, Dac-
tyloctenium aegyptium, Heliotropium strigosum, Limeum indi-
cum, Polygala erioptera, Salsola imbricata, Stipagrostis plumosa,
Tephrosia uniflora, Tribulus longipetalus, and Zaleya pentandra.
Trees are very commonly observed in this range forming a
mini-forest. These include Prosopis cineraria, Tamarix aphyl-
la, Capparis decidua, and Salvadora oleoides.

Saline/Sodic Land (Kharror)

This range is found between interdunal areas of the desert. It
was formed by evaporation of saltwater in the lakes leaving
behind high residual salt concentrations. These salty lands,
locally called Kharror, occupy the edges of saline lakes. A total
of 24 plant species (17% of the total flora of the Nara Desert) Wetland range having halophytic vegetation.

28 Rangelands
grazed by flocks of goats, cows, and camels at medium to high Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, deserttaxonomist@yahoo.
rates of utilization in the early wet, late wet, or dry seasons. com (Qureshi); and Professor, Shah Abdul Latif University,
Effects of grazing on species composition were greatest in Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan (Bhatti). At the time of research, the
the early wet season. Therefore, the range types of the Nara senior author was a Research Associate in the Department of
Desert are under immense pressure and need conservation. Botany, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Pakistan. This
Moreover, range management programs should be launched work was carried out under the research project entitled “Floristic
to maintain the continuity of plant and human life. Study of Arid Zone (Desert-Nara Region), Sindh, Pakistan” S-
Plants are the only source enriching the rangeland in the SALU/ENVR (45) sponsored by Pakistan Science Foundation,
shape of pasture. Besides supplying food for livestock, there Islamabad, which is thankfully acknowledged.
are other uses of plants, including turf, fuel, human nutri-
tion, and medicine.1 The genetic diversity of range and for-
age grasses, legumes, and other forbs needs to be preserved. References
These plants are capable of triumphing over restrictions to 1. Qureshi, R. 2004. Floristic and ethnobotanical study of
their growth and development, producing high-quality for- Desert-Nara Region, Sindh [dissertation]. Khairpur, Pakistan:
age, and serving a variety of conservation and other uses. Shah Abdul Latif University. 289 p.
Therefore, managed livestock grazing is very essential for the 2. Bhatti, G. R., M. Shah, and R. Qureshi. 2001. Floristic study
sustainable use of rangeland and pasture resources. of arid zone (Desert-Nara Region). Sindh, Pakistan: De-
partment of Botany, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur,
Pakistan. Final Technical Report S-SALU/ENVR (45). 190 p.
Authors are Seed Certification Officer for the Federal Seed Cer- 3. Qureshi, R., and G. R. Bhatti. 2005. Nara Desert, Pakistan:
tification & Registration Department, Government of Pakistan part II: human life. Rangelands 27(5):32−35.

February 2007 29