The Semi-Arid Batha

The climate conditions in the Semi-Arid areas are better than the desert arid conditions, but are drier than the conditions of the Mediterranean region. so in the Semi-Arid Batha you can find a mixture of desert vegetation, Mediterranean vegetation as well as plants that grow only on this narrow mid-area. the plant formation is controlled by shrublets, geophytes and herbaceous plants. unlike the Mediterranean Batha, that may develop trees and grow to be a scrub some day - trees here are scarce. 

at the semi-arid regions there is a long history of herding sheep, that led to the development of structural and physiological adaptations against herbivory, such as thorns and aromatic scents that repell the plant eaters. 

amongst the prominent species in this section you can find the Thimble Thistle (Gundelia tournefortii) - a very thorny perennial plant, that disperse it seeds by disconnecting the entire plant from the roots when it is dry, and spreading the seeds while rolling in the wind. another plant it the Dominican Sage (Salvia dominica) that has silvery-hairy leaves and a strong scent. 

Salvia dominica. | Picture by: Yuval Sapir