Citizen Science
Comparison of plants from China to the US
-- Plants in Xinjiang, northwest of China & plants in Arizona, southwest of US
I'm an international student from China. My hometown is Xinjiang, which is close to Tibet. Although Xinjiang province is also located in desert as Arizona state, the plants in Xinjiang are different from those of Arizona.
There are many plant species in Xinjiang which does not grow in Arizona. For example, the euphratica poplar is only suitable for growth of the Central Asia. This species with tenacious vitality survived after a long process of natural evolution. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree that may grow to a height of about 15 meters and a girth of 2.5 meters where conditions are favourable. Another special plant in Xinjiang is the elaeagnus angustifolia and the red willow. (Detailed description is in the slide deck gallery on the right.)
- The stem is typically bent and forked; old stems have thick, rough, olive-green bark. - The sapwood is white, the heartwood is red, darkening to almost black at the center. - The roots spread widely but not deeply. - The leaves are highly variable in shape.
- It's a thorny shrub or small tree growing to 5-7 meters (16-23 ft) in height. - Its stems, buds, and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty scales.
- They are bright green and look somewhat like pea pods when young. - Mature, dry pods are hard and contain several hard, dry, brown seeds.
- The stem is typically bent and forked; old stems have thick, rough, olive-green bark. - The sapwood is white, the heartwood is red, darkening to almost black at the center. - The roots spread widely but not deeply. - The leaves are highly variable in shape.
However, there are a numbers of plant species in Arizona which I have not seen before in Xinjiang, such as the saguaro, the ocotillo, the velvet mesquite, etc. (Detailed description is in the slide deck gallery above.)
Although both Xinjiang and Arizona are located in the desert, the plant species are relatively different. Therefore, I guess that it is because the climate styles of the two types of desert are different. Xinjiang is located in the Taklamakan Desert. "Because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, Taklamakan is a paradigmatic cold desert climate. Its extreme inland position, virtually in the very heartland of Asia and thousands of kilometres from any open body of water, accounts for the cold character of its nights even during summertime."(wikipedia) Therefore, other than drought resistant, the plants growing in the Taklamakan Desert must be cold resistant. Nevertheless, Arizona state is located in the Sonoran Desert, which is the hottest desert in Mexico. It is also called "the most humid desert" in the world. "The Sonoran Desert's biseasonal rainfall pattern results in more plant species (such as cactus family, palm family, agave family, legume family, etc.) than any other desert in the world. Plus, the Sonoran is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus grows in the wild."(wikipedia)
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To sum up, I think the biggest factor which determines the species of plant is the climate. Plant tends to grow under the climate conditions which is suitable for it to survive.
Author: Jiaxin Liu (Jessie) (University of Arizona Pre-Business freshman, AED 150 student)
Instructor: Lisa Parce (University of Arizona Adjunct Instructor, Department of Agricultural Education, instructor of AED 150)