During the long-term evolution and succession of plants in desert areas, they have developed the ability to adapt to special environmental conditions. The most common function is to prevent wind, sand, and extreme water shortages. Can plants survive? Over the past 40 years, relying on the "Three North" project, a 2761 kilometer long green sand barrier has been formed around the Taklamakan Desert. At present, the final 285 kilometers of sand fixation work is underway, weaving a "green scarf" for the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. The Populus euphratica and Calligonum mongolicum on the edge of the desert deeply penetrate their roots into the sand, allowing them to absorb very limited water and grow. There is also a plant called tooth ribbed red moss, which will turn into a black and dry piece when it loses a lot of water, but with just a little water, it can immediately revive and turn green. In the vast desert, plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, tamarisk, and white thorn also grow. Plants in desert areas have developed the ability to adapt to special environmental conditions during long-term evolutionary succession. The average annual precipitation in the desert is low, and the dry sand layer on the sand dunes is thick, forcing the roots of woody plants with high biomass to develop deeper to utilize groundwater. Many plants are only a few centimeters tall when seen on the ground, but have very long root systems underground, such as the white shuttle. The vertical root depth can reach less than 5 meters underground, and the main and lateral roots of the tamarisk are extremely developed. The main root often extends to the groundwater layer, with the deepest reaching more than 10 meters below the ground. Dry plants are a typical representative of desert plants, which maintain a suitable water content in their bodies under drought conditions through their special morphological structure, such as a small surface to body ratio, thick stratum corneum, concave stomata, developed palisade tissue, and degraded sponge tissue. There are several types of drought tolerant plants: succulent drought tolerant plants with fleshy leaves that adapt to severe drought by reducing transpiration loss; Hard leaved dryland plants with well-developed mechanical tissues or thick keratin layers can prevent leaf wrinkling and rupture in situations of high water loss; Small leaved and leafless dry plants, with extremely reduced or even degraded leaf area, use green stems for photosynthesis; Soft leaved drought tolerant plants have soft leaves, and in severe water shortages, the leaves will fall off to reduce transpiration; Narrow water drought tolerant plants can close stomata when water is insufficient, hindering gas exchange and photosynthesis. For perennial desert plants, the appearance of fallen leaves or dead branches in the aboveground parts does not necessarily mean death. This is often a strategy for plants to face severe drought. As long as the roots have not yet died, when rainfall and desert water conditions improve, dormant plants may revive and sprout new branches and leaves. This phenomenon is common in desert plants. What are the uses of desert plants? The most common function is to prevent wind and sand. The grass covers the wind, and with plants on the quicksand, it can gradually stabilize. In the process of exploring desertification control, the advantages of desert plants are fully utilized. The common characteristics of excellent sand fixing plants are deep roots, large crown width, drought resistance, and sand burial resistance. In terms of application, desert drought tolerant plants are a good choice. Like the sand jujube, the tree height can generally reach 2-3 meters and the crown width is 1-2 meters, making it more suitable for large-scale cultivation. Haloxylon ammodendron, tamarisk, and other plants are also widely used in many areas. Over the years, Chinese researchers have made arduous efforts to combat desertification. Nowadays, excellent sand fixing plants such as Shaguai, Tamarix, and Haloxylon ammodendron, which have been selected, are growing tenaciously in the desert and making sustained contributions to the control of desertification. (Lai Xin She)