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5 plants worth knowing

Jordan

More than three-quarters of Jordan is desert and semi-desert, but a narrow strip of north-western uplands supports olive groves and the oak and pine forests of Ajloun. In the west the country drops into the Jordan Rift Valley and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on land, where dates and vegetables are grown in the hot climate. In spring the uplands and steppes are covered in flowers, including the famous black iris.

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

where it grows

  1. Black iris 1

    flower · National flower of Jordan

    Black iris

    Iris nigricans

    Jordan’s national flower has petals of such a deep purple that from a distance they look completely black.
  2. Olive 2

    tree

    Olive

    Olea europaea

    The oldest olive trees around Ajloun are said to be up to two thousand years old – and they still bear fruit.
  3. Date palm 3

    palm

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    The sweltering Jordan Valley, below sea level, has become one of the world’s main centres of Medjool date growing.
  4. Phoenician juniper 4

    tree

    Phoenician juniper

    Juniperus phoenicea

    Old, twisted junipers cover the red slopes of the Dana reserve – Jordan’s largest protected area.
  5. White broom 5

    shrub

    White broom

    Retama raetam

    According to the Bible, the prophet Elijah rested beneath this desert shrub – in Jordan it grows in sandy wadis as far as Wadi Rum.