Ammopiptanthus nanus (Popov) S.H.Cheng is included here as a synonym, following the treatment in the Flora of China[]. It is recognized as distinct in some other treatments.

Common Name:

General Information

Ammopiptanthus mongolicus is a much-branched, evergreen shrub growing 150 - 200cm tall[].
The plant is being grown in revegetation projects in northwest China in order to halt and reverse the advance of desertification.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - northern China, southern and central Mongolia

Habitat

Sand dunes, gravel slopes, terraces beside ravines[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ammopiptanthus mongolicus grows in arid and subarid regions of central and northern Asia where annual precipitation can be as low as 100mm. It experiences seasonally extreme drought with temperatures that can be above 40°c in the summer and fall to below -30°c in the winter, with extraordinarily high ultraviolet irradiation[].
Requires a sunny position and a very well drained soil. The plant is often found in the wild growing in haighly saline, poor quality soils[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is very tolerant of arid and saline conditions, and also enriches the soil with nitrogen. It is being cultivated within its native range to combat and reverse desertification, being able to stabilize shifting sands[].

Other Uses

The leaves have a waxy coating. This wax has shown high-performance wear resistance and friction-reducing properties, and has a high potential as an environmentally-friendly lubricant additive in polyalphaolefin (PAO) for steel-steel contact[]. It can be used to replace environmentally harmful additive such as molybdenum-containing organic compounds and zinc dithiophosphate[]

Although only a shrub, this plant is often harvested for fuel within its native range because it is one of the few woody species to grow there.

Propagation

Seed -