Tamaris

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The tamarisk (Tamarix) is a plant genus from the family of tamarisk (Tamaricaceae). It covers about 55 to 90 species.

Description

Appearance and leaves
Tamarix species grow as small, well branched, xeromorphic, often deciduous trees and shrubs, reaching growth heights of usually 1 to 10, rarely up to 18 meters. They are deep-rooted plants. The narrow branches have, as long as they are young, a smooth and, depending on the species, differently colored, often reddish-brown to blackish-brown bark. As they age, the bark becomes brownish-purple and furry-rough.

The alternately densely covering the branches, unstanned leaves are small, scale-shaped, hairless to filtry haired, often grey-green and 0.5 to 7 millimeters long. The leaves are able to excrete salt with point-shaped glands.

Flowers and flowers
The flowering period usually runs from March to September. At the end of young or older branches sit simple or branched, grapey or rippy inflorescences, which, depending on the species, are 1 to 15 centimeters long. The four- or five-fold flowers are usually twilight; If they are single-sexed, then they are two-sexed separate plants (diocese). Usually, each flower stands above a bract, rarely over two or more bracts, which can be very different in shape and leaf edge depending on the species. The more or less the same four or five chalice leaves are only grown at their base and are very different in shape and leaf edge depending on the species. The four or five free crown leaves are white over pink to purple. There are usually four to ten, rarely up to twelve stamens. The usually three to four, rarely five or two free stamps end in heady scars that are two to three times shorter than the fruit knot. There is a discus.

Fruit and seeds
The small capsule fruits open with three compartments from above towards the base and contain many seeds. The small, about 1 millimeter large seeds have small bundles of hair, through which they are spread by the wind.

Ecology
Few tamarisk species are planted partly as wind protection on coasts, but also as ornamental plants. They are resistant to salty soils and also tolerate alkaline soil conditions. The germination capacity is still given at a salinity of 30 to 40 mS*cm-1, corresponding approximately to an osmotic potential of 1 to 2 MPa. The galls are rich in tannic acids. When a tortoise species injures the bark, the manna tamarisk (Tamarix nilotica) produces a substance called manna.

They are spread both by vegetative propagation with offspring and by sexual propagation via seeds spread by the wind.

The tamarisks became early in the 18th century. It was also introduced to the United States in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps