Tamarix gallica L.
T. brachystylis J. Gay ex Batt. & Trab., T. leucocharis Maire, T. gallica subsp. leucocharis (Maire) Maire, T. weylerii Pau, T. leucocharis Maire, T. muluyana Sennen & Mauricio nom. inval., T. valdesquamigera Sennen & Mauricio. T. murbeckii Sennen.
Eng.: Tamarisk. Spa.: Taray, taraje, atarfe. Fre.: Tamaris à styles larges. Ara.: Tamayet, azaua, akuar, laârich, tarfa, tarfaya, fersig, afersigh.
Small tree or shrub, evergreen, hermaphrodite, up to 8(10) m in height, wide crown but sparse. Trunk straight, sometimes fairly tortuous, with brownish-grey bark, that can be highly fissured longitudinally in the older specimens. Branches extended-erect, with-dark brown, red or purple bark, slightly or not fissured. Branchlets variable in colour, from green to deep red. Leaves (1.3-3 mm) alternate, sessile, without stipules, squamiform, triangular-lanceolate, with a ± acute tip. Leaf blade sometimes with numerous and visible salt secreting glands (especially in habitats of high salinity). Flowers in long racemes, 20-50(100) × 3-5 mm, born on the branchlets of the year. New shoots and inflorescence rachis usually smooth at the begining of flowering, and papillose in later flowerings. Flowers pentamerous, with 5 petals (1.2-1.6(1.7) × 0.5-1 mm), white or pink; 5 green sepals and 5 stamens. Bracts widely triangular to subulate, from slightly shorter to slightly longer than the calyx. Staminal disk synlophic. Fruit a capsule, ovoid-pyramidal, small (3-5 mm), red, with numerous seeds inside. Each seed has a long tuft of white unicellular hairs.
Flowering:
In spring, although some flowers can be seen during the summer and well into autumn.
Fruiting:
1-2 months after flowering.
Habitat:
Humid terrains, usually along riverbanks, lakes and other wetlands. It tolerates salinity well. In arid to subhumid bioclimate.
Distribution:
Western Mediterranean and the Macaronesian region. In North Africa is it the most common species of the genus. Within this region it is more frequent in the western Mediterranean area. It grows towards the W up to the Atlantic coast, and towards the E up to the Tibesti Massif.
Observations:
A similar species is T. canariensis Willd., often cited in Europe and North Africa because it is confused with other species, especially with T. gallica. Recent genetic studies indicate that its presence outside of the Canary Islands is doubtful. This means that all citations of T. canarienses in North Africa should be attributed to T. gallica.
Conservation status:
The species is common and widespread. It is not considered threatened. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species it is listed as Least Concern (LC) at global level (Beech, 2018).