Experiments were conducted at Sultan Qaboos University Agricultural Experimental Station to examine the effect of salinity on the germination and concentration of chlorophyll, nitrogen and proline of three local desert trees [Simr (i>Acacia tortilis), Ghaf Prosopis cineraria and Sidr Ziziphus spina-christi>/i>]. The salt treatments were tap water as control (ca. 0.8 dS/m), 6 dS/m, and 12 dS/m. Plants were one-year old at the start of the treatment. A. tortilis and Z. spina-christi>/i> had superior germination performance at low and moderate levels of salt stress. Z. spina-christi germinated rapidly under control conditions but germinated poorly at the high salt stress levels. A. tortilis accumulated more total chlorophyll and less proline than the other two species at the different salinity treatments. The significance of these results in the interpretation of salinity tolerance is discussed