Scientists Bust the Myth of the Saltwater-Sipping Desert Shrub

Scientists Bust the Myth of the Saltwater-Sipping Desert Shrub

The Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert in the world, is home to Nolana mollis, a shrub with white flowers that is able to survive on less than 25 mm of precipitation a year. Located in Northern Chile, this perennial succulent of the nightshade family thrives in the desert’s dry river valleys and has the unusual capacity to produce brine on its leaves and green stems by condensing atmospheric water vapour.  For nearly 45 years, it has bee…