Wildflowers of Central and Eastern Saudi Arabia

to synthesize chlorophyll directly, so they have no green colouration.

Instead, they extract their nutrition needs directly from the

roots of specific host plants. The Orobanchs typically produce

an attractive spike of flowers that can be some distance from

their hosts. Orobanche aegyptiaca has attractive blue flowers

and it lives off members of the parsley family. One of the showiest

plants is the Desert Hyacinth, Cistanche tubulosa; producing a

dense pyramid spike of bright yellow flowers topped by pale mauve

buds. This is an annual which produces many tiny seeds that can

lie dormant for years, until the root of the host plant approaches

closely enough to trigger seed germination. It is widely distributed

and locally common, especially in the east. It can tolerate saline

environments and can be seen just above the high tide mark along

the shore of the Arabian Gulf, for example, at Al Khobar. Here,

its host is often the succulent plant Arthrocnemum mastrostachyum.

In late February 1998, my wife and I made a weekend trip to Tumair

and Riyadh in central Saudi Arabia. Tumair is about 150 km northwest

of Riyadh. Around Tumair and at Al Haíir the wildflower displays

were really outstanding. The fields and hills near Tumair were

a beautiful yellow and green colour, due to a floral carpet of

Picris babylonica. The area was alive with lark song and it was

clear that several species, including Bar-tailed Desert and Hoopoe

Larks were about to breed, judging by repeated display flights

of the male birds.

The silt-laden wadis around Tumair were particularly rich in flowers:

beautiful wild iris Gynandiris sisirinchium topped the list. We

also found some attractive shrubs with misty blue flowers. These

were Desert Germander Teucrium oliverianum. Actually of the Mint

family, this plant has a similar bushy habit to the wild lavenders

found in the western mountains. Bird life was also rich in the

wadis around Tumair and included breeding birds such as the handsome

White-crowned Black Wheatear, Great Grey Shrike and Sand Partridge,

which were regularly calling from the surrounding hills. We found

the area really idyllic and peaceful; a delightful and unexpected

surprise.

Flowering plants are a key component in the food chain providing

nectar for insects, food for their larval stages as well as cover,

resting and breeding places for many forms of natural life. Several

attractive butterfly species can be seen on the Plain Tiger, Caper

White, Painted Lady, Blue Pansy and Clouded Yellow. Large numbers

of Painted Lady butterflies migrate across Arabia every year.

In the desert, they are strongly attracted to the yellow flowers

of Rhanterium eppaposum, a widespread plant especially in the

east. All these butterflies are long-distance migrants, a survival

strategy that enables them to move to the better-vegetated areas