The Badain Jaran Desert, located in a temperate arid region, is characterized by some of the tallest stationary dunes on Earth. Often, these dunes support the growth of unique vegetation species, such as Haloxylon ammodendron (C. A. Mey.) Bunge. Haloxylon ammodendron, a shrub indigenous to the area, is of high socio-ecological importance and has the following functions: desertification control, improving soil quality in degraded areas, and supporting local economic development. Although the socio-ecological importance of Haloxylon ammodendron is well-understood, very few studies have addressed the spatial heterogeneity in the soil and vegetation at different scales in this landscape and its role in desertification dynamics. We conducted extensive replicated field experiments in Ta-Mu-Su at the east edge of the Badain Jaran Desert in order to examine the spatial distribution of Haloxylon ammodendron and the relationship between quantitative plant characteristics and altitude. We hypothesized that the spatial heterogeneity in the soil and vegetation in this landscape could be used as an indicator for desertification. We designed experimental plots (area, 192 hm²) with natural Haloxylon ammodendron shrubs as the dominant vegetation type. We investigated the relationship between the spatial heterogeneity of shrub distribution and thickness of sand deposition. We measured plant growth indicators such as plant density, height, and crown diameter. We measured plant growth parameters during the growing season (months) by using the line transect method, recorded plant coordinates, and monitored plant growth parameters along the transect line. The collected data were integrated into a global positioning system simultaneously, and statistical methods were used to analyze the spatial distribution and heterogeneity of natural vegetation. Our results suggest a normal distribution in plant height, crown diameter, and density with corresponding coefficients of 43.8%, 36.4%, and 36.38%, respectively, indicating an intensive spatial variation in plant growth parameters. The semi-variance optimal function of population characteristics and altitude plots was Gaussian; the semi-variance functions of height, crown diameter, and density were 1249 m, 909 m, and 1035 m, respectively; and spatial variation in crown diameter was significant with the highest C₀+C caused by random factors, where C₀ is the nugget or variability not explained by distance and C is the spatial heterogeneity caused by autocorrelation factors. Spatial heterogeneity of the plant characteristics was autocorrelated with a structure ratio, C/(C₀+C), of more than 70%. The large structure ratio suggests that Haloxylon ammodendron maintains a natural distribution with few disturbances. The fractal dimension was greater than 1.5, which suggests that the spatial structure of Haloxylon ammodendron was simple with strong spatial dependence. Significant positive correlation was observed between plant height and crown diameter (0.8771). Accelerated wind erosion resulted in decreased sand thickness along the prevailing wind direction (west-east and north-south) across the spatial domain. Plant height, crown diameter, and density also decreased along the direction of the prevailing winds. Overall, the spatial heterogeneity observed in our study suggests that sand deposition favors the growth and development of Haloxylon ammodendron.