The genus
Tamarix is composed of about 50-60 species of
flowering plantThe flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family
TamaricaceaeTamaricaceae is a flowering plant family containing four genera. In the 1980s, the family was classified in the Violales under the Cronquist system; more modern classifications place them in the Caryophyllales.The family is native to drier areas of Europe, Asia and Africa...
, native to drier areas of
EurasiaEurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The generic name originated in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and may have referred to the Tamaris River in
Hispania TarraconensisHispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
(
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
Description
They are
evergreenIn botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
or
deciduousDeciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrubA shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 1–18 m in height and forming dense thickets. The largest,
Tamarix aphyllaTamarix aphylla is the largest known species of Tamarix . The species has a variety of common names, including Athel pine, Athel tree, Athel tamarisk, and saltcedar...
, is an
evergreenIn botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree that can grow to 18 m tall. They usually grow on saline soils, tolerating up to 15,000 ppm soluble
saltSodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
and can also tolerate alkali conditions.
Tamarisks are characterized by slender branches and grey-green foliage. The bark of young branches is smooth and reddish-brown. As the plants age, the bark becomes bluish-purple, ridged and furrowed. The
leavesA leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are scale-like, 1–2 mm long, and overlap each other along the stem. They are often encrusted with salt secretions. The pink to white
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s appear in dense
massesAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
on 5–10 cm long spikes at branch tips from March to September, though some species (e.g.
T. aphylla) tend to flower during the winter.
Reproduction
Tamarix can spread both
vegetativelyVegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
, by adventitious roots or submerged stems, and sexually, by
seedA seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. Each flower can produce thousands of tiny (1 mm diameter) seeds that are contained in a small capsule usually adorned with a tuft of hair that aids in wind dispersal. Seeds can also be dispersed by water. Seedlings require extended periods of soil saturation for establishment.
Tamarix species are fire-adapted, and have long tap roots that allow them to intercept deep
water tableThe water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
s and exploit natural
water resourcesHydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
. They are able to limit competition from other plants by taking up salt from deep ground water, accumulating it in their foliage, and from there depositing it in the surface soil where it builds up concentrations temporarily detrimental to some plants. The salt is washed away during heavy rains. Tamarix trees are most often propagated by cuttings.
Tamarix species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Coleophora asthenellaColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
which feeds exclusively on
T. africana.
Selected species
- Tamarix africana Poir.
- Tamarix androssowii
- Tamarix aphylla
Tamarix aphylla is the largest known species of Tamarix . The species has a variety of common names, including Athel pine, Athel tree, Athel tamarisk, and saltcedar...
(L.) H.Karst.
- Tamarix arceuthoides
- Tamarix austromongolica
- Tamarix boveana
- Tamarix canariensis
- Tamarix chinensis
Tamarix chinensis is a species of tamarisk known by the common names Chinese tamarisk and five-stamen tamarisk or saltcedar. It is native to China and Korea, and it is known in many other parts of the world as an introduced species and sometimes an invasive noxious weed. It easily inhabits moist...
Lour.
- Tamarix dalmatica
- Tamarix dioica Roxb. ex Roth
- Tamarix duezenlii
- Tamarix elongata
- Tamarix gallica
Tamarix gallica, the French Tamarisk, is a deciduous, herbaceous, twiggy shrub or small tree reaching up to about 5 meters high. It is indigenous to Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula, and very common around the Mediterranean region. It is present in many other areas as an invasive introduced...
L.
- Tamarix gansuensis
- Tamarix gracilis Willd.
- Tamarix hampeana
- Tamarix hispida
Tamarix hispida, commonly known as Kashgar tamarisk, is a species of tamarisk in the Tamaricaceae family.It is found in Central Asia, and is distinct, the foliage being of a bluish-green color. It flowers in autumn...
Willd.
- Tamarix indica
- Tamarix jintaenia
- Tamarix juniperina
- Tamarix karelinii Bunge
- Tamarix laxa Willd.
- Tamarix leptostachys
- Tamarix mongolica
- Tamarix parviflora
Tamarix parviflora is a species of tamarisk known by the common name smallflower tamarisk.It is native to southeastern Europe but it is well-known elsewhere, such as western North America, where it is an invasive introduced species.It easily inhabits moist habitat, especially in saline soils. It...
DC.
- Tamarix ramosissima
Tamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems and feathery, pale green foliage.-Description:...
Ledeb.
- Tamarix sachuensis
- Tamarix smyrnensis Bunge (=T. hohenackeri)
- Tamarix taklamakanensis
- Tamarix tarimensis
- Tamarix tenuissima
- Tamarix tetragyna Ehrenb.
- Tamarix tetragyna var. meyeri (Boiss.) Boiss. (=T. meyeri)
- Tamarix tetragyna var. tetragyna
- Tamarix tetrandra Pall. ex M.Bieb.
|
Formerly placed here
- Myricaria germanica (L.) Desv. (as T. germanica L.)
Tamarix in North America
The
Tamarix was introduced to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as an
ornamentalOrnamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
shrub, a
windbreakA windbreak or shelterbelt is a plantation usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted around the edges of fields on farms. If designed properly, windbreaks around a...
, and a shade tree in the early 19th century. In the 1930s, during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, tree-planting was used as a tool to fight soil
erosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
on the
Great PlainsThe Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, and the trees were planted by the millions in the
Great Plains ShelterbeltThe Great Plains Shelterbelt was a project to create windbreaks in the Great Plains states of the United States, and was launched in 1934. President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the project in response to the severe dust storms of the Dust Bowl, which resulted in significant soil erosion and...
.
Eight species are found in North America. They can be divided into two sub-groups:
Evergreen species
The
Tamarix aphyllaTamarix aphylla is the largest known species of Tamarix . The species has a variety of common names, including Athel pine, Athel tree, Athel tamarisk, and saltcedar...
(Athel tree), a large evergreen tree, does not sexually reproduce in the local climate and is not considered a seriously invasive species. The Athel tree is commonly used for windbreaks on the edge of agricultural
fieldsIn agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
and as a shade tree in the deserts of the
Southwestern United StatesThe Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
.
Deciduous species
- The second sub-group contains the deciduous tamarisks, which are small shrubby trees, commonly known as "saltcedars." These include Tamarix pentandra, Tamarix tetranda, Tamarix gallica
Tamarix gallica, the French Tamarisk, is a deciduous, herbaceous, twiggy shrub or small tree reaching up to about 5 meters high. It is indigenous to Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula, and very common around the Mediterranean region. It is present in many other areas as an invasive introduced...
, Tamarix chinensisTamarix chinensis is a species of tamarisk known by the common names Chinese tamarisk and five-stamen tamarisk or saltcedar. It is native to China and Korea, and it is known in many other parts of the world as an introduced species and sometimes an invasive noxious weed. It easily inhabits moist...
, Tamarix ramosissimaTamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems and feathery, pale green foliage.-Description:...
, and Tamarix parvifolia.
These deciduous trees establish themselves in disturbed and undisturbed streams, waterways, bottom lands, banks and drainage washes of natural or artificial water bodies, moist rangelands and pastures, and other areas where seedlings can be exposed to extended periods of saturated soil for establishment.
Invasive species
It is commonly believed that
Tamarix disrupts the structure and stability of North American native plant communities and degrades native wildlife habitat, by outcompeting and replacing native plant species, salinizing soils, monopolizing limited sources of moisture, and increasing the frequency, intensity and effect of fires and floods. While it has been shown that individual plants may not consume larger quantities of water than native species, it has also been shown that large dense stands of
Tamarix do consume more water than equivalent stands of native cottonwoods. There is an active and ongoing debate as to when
Tamarix can out-compete native plants, and if it is actively displacing native plants or it just taking advantage of disturbance by removal of natives by humans and changes in flood regimes. Research on competition between
Tamarix seedlings and co-occurring native trees has found that the seedlings are not competitive over a range of environments, however stands of mature trees effectively prevent native species establishment in the understory, due to low light, elevated salinity, and possibly changes to the soil biota. Thus, anthropogenic activities that preferentially favor tamarisk (such as changes to flooding regimes) are associated with infestation. To date, Tamarix has taken over large sections of riparian ecosystems in the western United States that were once home to native cottonwoods and willows, and are projected by some to spread well beyond the current range.
Controls
There are several ways to deal with pest populations of tamarisk in the United States. The
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
has used physically removing the plants, spraying them with
herbicideHerbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
s, and introducing northern tamarisk beetles (
Diorhabda carinulataDiorhabda carinulata is a species of leaf beetle known as the northern tamarisk beetle which feeds on tamarisk trees from southern Russia and Iran to Mongolia and western China...
) in the National Park System. This has been done in the
Dinosaur National MonumentDinosaur National Monument is a National Monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Although most of the monument area is in Moffat County, Colorado, the Dinosaur Quarry is located in Utah...
in Utah and Colorado along the Green and Yampa Rivers, during the summers of 2006 and 2007. After years of study, the USDA
Agricultural Research ServiceThe Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture . ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area...
has found that the tamarisk beetles eat only the tamarisk, and starve when there is no more tamarisk available. No other native North American plants have been found to be eaten by the introduced tamarisk beetle. Progress is slow, but proves that containment of the tamarisk is possible in the long term.
Uses
- The tamarisk is used as an ornamental shrub, a windbreak
A windbreak or shelterbelt is a plantation usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted around the edges of fields on farms. If designed properly, windbreaks around a...
, and a shade treeA shade tree is any tree grown specifically for its shade. This term usually applies to large trees with spreading canopies. Shade trees are effective in reducing the energy used in cooling homes....
. The wood may be used for carpentry or firewood. It is a possible agroforestryAgroforestry is an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock.It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.-Definitions:According to...
species.
- Plans are being made for the tamarisk to play a role in anti-desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
programs in ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.,
- Salt cedars can be planted to mine salts, then be used in the production of fuel and fertilizer (although the latter will be somewhat salty).
Invasive species
Tamarix ramosissimaTamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems and feathery, pale green foliage.-Description:...
has naturalized and become a major
invasive plant species"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in parts of the world, such as in the
Southwestern United StatesThe Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and
Desert Region of CaliforniaThe Deserts of California have unique ecosystems and habitats, a sociocultural and historical "Old West" collection of legends, districts, and communities; and a popular tourism region of dramatic natural features and recreational development...
, consuming large amounts of groundwater in riparian and oases habitats. The balance and strength of the native flora and fauna is being helped by various restoration projects, by removing, like tall woody noxious weeds,
Tamarix groves.
Cultural history
In Genesis 21:33, Abraham is recorded to have "planted a tamarisk at
Beer-shebaBeersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
". He had built a well there, earlier.
In the Quran 34:16, the people of Saba were punished when "[Allah] converted their two garden (rows) into gardens producing bitter fruit and tamarisks [...]"
In
Egyptian MythologyAncient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
, the body of
OsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
is hidden for a time in a tamarisk tree in
ByblosByblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
, until it was retrieved by
IsisIsis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
. A reference to this is also made in the computer game,
Age of MythologyAge of Mythology , is a mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
, where the head of
OsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
is said to be hidden inside the trunk of a great tamarisk tree.
WedgwoodWedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
made a “Tamarisk” China pattern.
According to the New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, the tamarisk plant is a favorite of the Greek god
ApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
.
External links