Plants & Nations: Azerbaijan

A place where Iranian tea and vodka are sold together in Arab cafes and modern-styled buildings standing next to ancient sites, Azerbaijan is a product of its intriguing history and geographic location. 

The nature of Azerbaijan is also astonishing. The country is called the "land of fire," a reference to numerous spontaneous fires caused by underground gas that has burned since ancient times. You can find these eternal fires in Yanar Bulag, Yunar Dag and other places. Additionally, Azerbaijan has nine out of 11 major climatic types of earth, which result in diverse flora that consists of more than 4,100 plant species.

In this article, we explore some beautiful plants grown on this land of fire.

Persian silk tree

The tree, whose leaves close during the night, is native to southwestern and eastern Asia, including Azerbaijan, Iran and China.

It's usually planted in semi-arid areas because of its tolerance to drought. The flowers are sweet-scented, attracting honey bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The fruit is a flat pod containing seeds. The tree can generally live for 10 to 20 years.

Persian ironwood tree

This critically endangered tree is native to southern Azerbaijan and northern Iran. It is a notable relict tree species in the Hyrcanian Forests, an important habitat rich in relic and endemic plant species

The Persian ironwood tree can grow to 30 meters. It is often planted for its ornamental value since its leaves turn a beautiful brilliant red color in autumn. During this season, green, yellow, orange and red appear at the same time, which makes the tree glamorous.

Pomegranate tree

We all know pomegranate, but do you know that Azerbaijan is the only country where all varieties of pomegranates grow? The red fruit has a special status in the country where it's called the king of fruits. There is even an annual festival dedicated to it, the Pomegranate Festival in the Goychay region of Azerbaijan.

The production of pomegranate means a lot to the economy of Azerbaijan since around 40,000 tons of the fruit are exported every year from the country.

In Azerbaijan, there is a popular sauce to complement meat and fish dishes, called narsharab, which is made from the juice of pomegranate.