PlantsMap

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5 plants worth knowing

Bahrain

Bahrain is an archipelago of low limestone islands in the Persian Gulf, mostly covered by desert. Yet since antiquity the north coast of the main island has been a green oasis thanks to freshwater springs, some of them on the seabed – which is why ancient Dilmun was famed for its palm groves. Little wild vegetation remains today: xerophytic shrubs in the desert south, mangroves in the bays and gardens in the north.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Date palm 1

    palm · Date palm – a symbol of ancient Dilmun and of Bahrain

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    Bahrain was called the “land of a million palms” – its freshwater springs fed date groves as far back as ancient Dilmun.
  2. Ghaf 2

    tree · “Tree of Life” – a natural monument and symbol of Bahrain

    Ghaf

    Prosopis cineraria

    The lone “Tree of Life” has stayed green for over 400 years in the middle of bare desert – nobody knows for sure where it gets its water.
  3. Christ’s thorn jujube 3

    tree

    Christ’s thorn jujube

    Ziziphus spina-christi

    In spring Bahrain’s market stalls sell small yellow kunar fruits – the taste of childhood for every Bahraini.
  4. Grey mangrove 4

    tree

    Grey mangrove

    Avicennia marina

    Bahrain’s last natural mangroves in Tubli Bay are a nursery for fish and shrimp for the whole island.
  5. Apple of Sodom 5

    shrub

    Apple of Sodom

    Calotropis procera

    A shrub with huge bluish leaves and waxy-looking flowers – its poisonous milky sap deters even camels.