• Australia's deserts offer rich plant diversity.Outback Australia - Ayer's Rock ,
  
  With over 70 percent of Australia's landmass being deserts or semi-deserts prone to drought, extreme heat and particularly infertile soil, it becomes difficult to see how any plants survive the continent's extreme conditions. Despite being the driest inhabited continent in the world, Australia's desert outback is home to a wide variety of native plant species that have managed to flourish even in times of harsh circumstances.
  
  

Trees

• Among the most common trees of the Australian desert landscapes are the Gum trees, such as the Eucalyptus--which populates every landscape of Australia except the rain forest and serves as shelter to native birds and animals--and the Ghost Gum, known for its smooth white bark resembling silver. Other desert trees include the Northern Cyprus Pine, Sandalwood, Mulga, Western Myall and Sandhill Wattle. Many of Australia's desert trees have adapted to resist droughts by having deep root systems that reach ground water, or wide reaching roots that consume as much water as possible when it is available.
  
  

Shrubs

• Shrubs of several varieties dot the Australian outback deserts. One of the more abundant varieties of shrubs are those classified in the genus Eremophila, known commonly as "Emu bushes," of which there are more than 200 different species. Other shrubs that occur in the arid deserts include the Narrow-leafed Hop Bush, the Bladder Saltbush, Bullock Bush and the Low Bluebush.
  
  

Grasses and Wildflowers

• Two types of grasses are common in Australia. In the more arid deserts, the more abundant grasses are hummock grasses, while in the semi-deserts, the more common grasses are Mitchell grasses. Gondwana Net states that among the many wildflowers, a famous variety is that known as "Kangaroo's Paw," which has dark leaves and an array of colors when flowering. The Native Buttercup, Sturt's Rose and the Strurt's Desert Pea are other common Australian desert flowers, the latter which flowers during weeks of rain and then closes up during drought.