Drought-resistant shrub
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Drought-resistant shrub

by Konstantinos Kourtidis, Demokritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece

The shrub in the image is Sacropoterium Spinosum. It grows in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The springy masses of interlocking twigs were used as a form of cushioning or protecting fragile cargo such as ceramic amphoræ on ancient Roman ships. Image is around 1,5 m across.