Tamaricaceae
Tamarix

Tamarix nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge

First published in Tent. Gen. Tamar.: 54 (1852)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Aegean Islands to Arabian Peninsula, NE. & E. Tropical Africa. It is a tree and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1–4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or tree up to 10 m tall
Morphology Leaves
Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 1–3 mm long, imbricate and half-clasping
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes 5–10 cm long, 5–6 mm in diam. Flowers shortly pedicelled, white to pink
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, ovate, c. 1 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, c. 3 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 0.5 mm long, with apical tuft of hairs.
[FSOM]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19179434/46081355

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Tamaricaceae, D. R. Hunt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1966

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree up to 6 m. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, concave, closely imbricated on and half-clasping the smaller branchlets, 1–3 mm. long (4–5 mm. on larger branchlets), acute to long-acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes crowded near end of current year’s growth, rather lax, 5–9 cm. long, 3–5 mm. in diameter; bracts narrowly lanceolate 2(–3) mm. long, exceeding flowers (in East African specimens).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1.75 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, white, on 0.5 mm. long pedicels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 5, ovate to rotund, about 1 mm. long, entire or minutely denticulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, oblong, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.75–1 mm. wide, obtuse, falling early.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5(–7); filaments finally 2 mm. long, slender; anthers shortly apiculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
Disk truncate or slightly lobed between stamens.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary pyriform, 0.75–1 mm. long; carpels 3; styles erect or suberect; stigmas minutely lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Valves of ripe capsule 4–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds terete, 0.5 mm. long, brown; apical coma 1.5–2.5 mm. long.
Figures
Fig. 1/1–10.
Habitat
Banks of seasonal rivers and shores of lakes, occurring in vegetation varying from deciduous woodland to semi-desert scrub; 180–1340 m.
Distribution
K2 K4 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images