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10 plants worth knowing

Sudan

Sudan stretches from the Sahara in the north, through the dry savanna belt of the Sahel with its acacias and baobabs, to wetter savannas in the south. The Nile is the country’s backbone – Khartoum lies at the confluence of the White and Blue Nile, and the irrigated plains of Gezira are among the largest farming areas in Africa.

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

where it grows

  1. Gum arabic tree 1

    tree

    Gum arabic tree

    Senegalia senegal

    Sudan supplies most of the world’s gum arabic – the resin that oozes from the cut bark of the gum arabic tree.
  2. African baobab 2

    tree

    African baobab

    Adansonia digitata

    In Kordofan hollowed-out baobab trunks served as natural cisterns, storing rainwater for the dry season.
  3. Roselle 3

    crop

    Roselle

    Hibiscus sabdariffa

    The fleshy purple calyces of roselle are brewed into karkade – a ruby-red drink of which Sudan is one of the leading exporters.
  4. Babul 4

    tree

    Babul

    Vachellia nilotica

    Babul forms sunt forests on the flooded banks of the Blue Nile – its wood has been used to build boats for centuries.
  5. Desert date 5

    tree

    Desert date

    Balanites aegyptiaca

    The thorny heglig (hijlij) grows all over Sudan – its fruits, known as desert dates, have saved herders in times of famine for centuries.
  6. Sorghum 6

    crop

    Sorghum

    Sorghum bicolor

    Sorghum, known in Sudan as dura, is the country’s staple grain – its flour is used to bake thin kisra flatbreads.
  7. Date palm 7

    palm

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    Date palm groves line the Nile in northern Sudan – dates have been a dietary staple and trade good here since ancient Nubia.
  8. Egyptian cotton 8

    crop

    Egyptian cotton

    Gossypium barbadense

    The Gezira Scheme, one of the world’s largest irrigation systems, was created in colonial times to grow long-staple cotton.
  9. Sesame 9

    crop

    Sesame

    Sesamum indicum

    Sudan is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of sesame – grown by smallholders throughout the summer-rainfall belt.
  10. Henna 10

    shrub

    Henna

    Lawsonia inermis

    Henna adorns the hands and feet of Sudanese brides – the henna night before the wedding is filled with singing and dancing.