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5 plants worth knowing

Mauritania

About three-quarters of Mauritania lies in the Sahara – the dunes of the ergs and the stony plateaus of the Adrar give way in the south to the dry Sahel with its acacias, and along the Senegal River to a belt of farmland. On the Atlantic coast, Banc d’Arguin National Park protects the northernmost mangroves in West Africa.

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

where it grows

  1. Date palm 1

    palm

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    Every summer Mauritanians flock to the Adrar oases for the guetna – the date harvest festival in the palm groves of Atar and Chinguetti.
  2. Umbrella thorn 2

    tree

    Umbrella thorn

    Vachellia tortilis

    The umbrella-shaped talh acacia is Mauritania’s commonest tree – its shade, leaves and pods are a lifeline for camel herds in the desert.
  3. Gum arabic tree 3

    tree

    Gum arabic tree

    Senegalia senegal

    Mauritania’s shore was once called the Gum Coast – European merchants sailed here for gum arabic from the gum arabic tree.
  4. Black mangrove 4

    tree

    Black mangrove

    Avicennia germinans

    On the edge of the Sahara, in the bays of Banc d’Arguin, relict black mangroves survive – the northernmost in West Africa.
  5. Apple of Sodom 5

    shrub

    Apple of Sodom

    Calotropis procera

    A shrub with huge grey-green leaves and balloon-like fruits that grows beside every road – its milky sap is highly poisonous.