The Sahara's Flowering Plants

• The Sahara Desert hosts a few species of flowering plant life. Paul Piebinga/Photodisc/Getty Images

  North Africa's Sahara Desert is considered by many to be one of the planet's most hostile and uninhabitable environments. Despite hot and arid conditions, an abundance of plant life exists that both blossoms and thrives across certain areas of the Sahara. These plants can be found only near sections of the Sahara that remain moist, thus giving the plants, which typically have rather long root systems, access to water.

Date Palms

• Date palms grow in the northern and southern regions of the Sahara Desert, near drainage basins formed by rains as well as near oases. The plants, mistakenly identified as trees, grow to more than 50 feet in height, with some recorded specimens reaching 80 feet. The palms are best known for producing dates, a naturally sweet fruit that is commonly exported due to its popularity. The date palm's flowers are also edible. Buds can be used in salads or ground up with dried fish to make a condiment. The palms feature sprouts that range from 9 to 15 feet long. Date palm oil is extracted from the base of the plant and used cosmetically in soaps and fragrances, and the plant's seeds are sometimes ground and used in a similar fashion as coffee beans.

Acacia

• The thorny acacia plant produces a host of small yellow flowers that grow from near-vertical stems. These stems serve to protect the plant from intense sunlight by reducing the plant's exposure area, unlike plants that grow parallel to the ground. The plant's seeds are a common food source; many gravies, soups and side dishes are made with acacia seed. Acacia honey, collected from bees that forage the acacia plant, is a rare delicacy and is the only known honey that doesn't crystallize like typical honey. Acacia extract can be found domestically in many popular soft drinks and snack foods.

African Cacti

• Similar to North American cacti species, the African cactus survives on the plains that border the Sahara in much the same was as their western cousins: they have deep root systems that bury themselves close to underground water sources, as well as internal water-storing bladders. Unlike other species of cacti, the African Cactus is only found on the bordering plains. Travelers coming across the plains as they journey inward hack the plant's core to access water. The African Cactus flowers with small pinkish blossoms, but only during the region's infrequent rains.