3308 



TAMARIX 



TAMARIX 



E. India and Japan. Several species have medicinal 

 properties and yield dye-stuffs. The punctures of an 

 insect, Coccus manniparus, cause T. mannifera to pro- 

 duce "manna." 



The tamarisks are very graceful shrubs or small trees 

 with slender branches clothed with minute scale-like 

 appressed leaves, and with usually light pink small 

 flowers in large and loose terminal panicles or in numer- 

 ous lateral racemes, followed by small capsular fruits. 

 None of the species is quite hardy North, but T. pen- 

 tandra, T. odessana, T. gallica, and T. parviflora are 

 fairly hardy as far north as Massachusetts. Several of 

 the species bloom late in summer and are a welcome 

 addition to the autumn-flowering shrubs. As they are 

 inhabitants of warmer arid regions, they are adapted 

 for dry-land conditions, and they also grow well in 

 saline and alkaline soil. They are excellent for seaside 

 planting and thrive in the very spray of the salt water. 

 Propagation is by seeds, which are very fine and should 

 be only slightly covered, or usually by cuttings of 

 ripened wood in the open ground or by greenwood cut- 

 tings under glass. 



INDEX. 



sestivalis, 4. gallica, 7. odessana, 6. 



africana, 1, and suppL Eispida, 4, 8. Pallasii, 4. 



amurensis, 4. indica, 7. parviflora, 1. 



arborea, 7. japonica, 3. pentandra, 4. 



canariensis, 7. juniperina, 3. plumosa, 3. 



caspica, 4. kashgarica, 8. purpurea, 1. 



chinensis, 5. narboimensis, 7. tetrandra, 1, 2. 

 elegans, 7. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Fls. J+-merous: racemes lateral on last 



year's branches. 

 B. Petals spreading, persistent; styles 



usually 3 1. parviflora 



BB. Petals erect, deciduous; styles usually 



4 2. tetrandra 



AA. Fls. 5-merous. 



B. Racemes lateral on last year's 



branches 3. juniperina 



BB. Racemes forming large terminal pani- 

 cles, rarely lateral on the current 

 year's branchlets. 

 c. Lvs. glabrous. 

 D. Petals persistent. 



E. Bracts ovate-lanceolate 4. pentandra 



BE. Bracts subulate. 



F. Infi. nodding: tree with 



spreading branches 5. chinensis 



FF. Infi. upright: erect shrub. 6. odessana 



DD. Petals deciduous 7. gallica 



cc. Lvs. finely pubescent 8. hispida 



1. parviflfira, DC. (T. tetrdndra var. parviflora, Boiss. 

 & Kotschy). Fig. 3769. Shrub or small tree, 15 ft. 

 high, with reddish brown bark and slender spreading 

 branches: Ivs. ovate, acuminate, semi-amplexicaul, 

 scarious at the apex when older: fls. pink, very short- 

 pedicelled, in slender racemes about 1 in. long along 

 last year's branches; petals spreading, persistent; 

 calyx very small, sometimes only 3-parted; styles usu- 

 ally 3, much shorter than ovary. April, May. S. Eu. 

 F.S. 9:898. R.H. 1855:401. Gn. 61, p. 273; 71, p. 358. 

 Often confounded with the T. tetrandra, also with 

 T. africana and T. gallica and cult, under these names. 

 T. tetrandra var. purpurea probably belongs here. 



2. tetrandra, Pall. Shrub or small tree, attaining 12 

 ft., with almost black bark: Ivs. ovate-lanceolate, some- 

 what narrowed at the base, with diaphanous margin: 

 fls. light pink or almost white, in racemes 1-2 in. long 

 along last year's branches; disk purple, deeply 4-lobed; 

 styles usually 4, about as long as ovary. April, May. 

 S. E. Eu., W. Asia. Doubtful whether in cult, in this 

 country; all plants seen under this name by the writer 

 belong to the preceding species. 



3. juniperina, Bunge (T. japdnica and T. plumosa, 

 Hort.). Shrub or small tree, attaining 15 ft., with 



slender spreading branches: Ivs. green, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, acuminate, scarious at the apex: fls. pinkish, in 

 lateral racemes 1^-2^4 in. long on last year's branches; 

 pedicels slender, shorter than calyx; sepals ovate-lan- 

 ceolate, little shorter than the persistent petals; disk 

 5-lobed, with emarginate lobes. Japan, N. China. 

 S.Z. 1:71 (as T. chinensis.) 



4. pentandra, Pall. (T. Pallasii. Desv. T. hispida 

 sestivalis, Hort.). Shrub or small tree with usually 

 purple branches: Ivs. lanceolate to ovate, acute, glau- 

 cous or pale green: fls. pink, in large panicles, the 

 racemes dense, 1-2 in. long; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 

 acute or acuminate, as long or slightly longer than 

 pedicels; petals broadly ellip- 

 tic-oblong, connivent; disk 5- 

 lobed, with emarginate lobes; 

 styles 3, with obovate, con- 

 nivent stigmas. Aug., Sept. 

 S. E. Eu. to Cent. Asia. B.M. 

 8138. Gn. 77, p. 494. Gn.W. 

 25:121. T. amurensis, Hort., 

 is a form of this variable spe- 

 cies. F.E. 20:344, pi. 105. 

 Also T. caspica probably be- 

 longs here. 



5. chinensis, Lour. Shrub 

 or small tree, attaining 15 ft., 

 with slender spreading, often 

 drooping branches: Ivs. bluish 

 green, lanceolate, acuminate, 

 keeled: fls. pink, in large and 

 loose usually nodding panicles, 

 pedicels as long as calyx ; sepals 

 ovate, much shorter than the 

 persistent petals; disk deeply 

 10-lobed. July-Sept. China. 



6. odessana, Stev. Shrub, 

 4-6 ft. high, with upright, slen- 

 der branches: Ivs. lanceolate, 

 subulate, decurrent: fls. pink; 

 racemes slender, about 1 in. 

 long, on short, naked pedun- 

 cles, spreading and disposed in 

 ample loose panicles; pedicels 

 about as long as calyx; petals 

 slightly spreading; disk 5-lobed, 

 with rounded lobes. July- 

 Sept. Caspian region. 



7. gallica, Linn. (T. arbdrea, 

 Sieber, not Ehrenb. T. canar- 

 iensis, Willd.). Shrub, or small 

 tree with slender spreading 

 branches: Ivs. dull to bluish 

 green, closely imbricated, rhom- 

 bic-ovate, acute or acuminate, 



keeled, semi-amplexicaul, with scarious margin : fls. white 

 or pinkish, globose in bud, almost sessile, in slender, 

 panicled racemes; petals deciduous; filaments somewhat 

 dilated at the base, inserted between the rounded 

 lobes of the 10-lobed disk; styles 3. May- July. W. Eu., 

 Medit. region to Himalayas; naturalized in S. Texas 

 and N. Mex. Gn. 34, p. 329. Var. indica, Ehrenb. (T. 

 indica, Willd.). With slender, upright branches: Ivs. 

 dull green: racemes longer and slenderer: fls. pink, disk 

 obscurely and minutely 10-lobed. Himalayas. Var. 

 narbonnensis, Ehrenb. Racemes short, almost sessile, 

 lateral on the current year's branches. S. W. Eu. Var. 

 elegans, Schelle (T. elegans, Hort.), is a garden form of 

 slenderer habit and with brighter green foliage; blooms 

 somewhat later. 



8. hispida, Willd. (T. kashgdrica, Hort.). Shrub, with 

 slender upright branches: Ivs. bluish green, cordate and 

 subauriculate at the base, acuminate, somewhat spread- 

 ing, finely pubescent: fls. pink, almost sessile, in dense 

 racemes 2-3 in. long, disposed in terminal panicles; 



3769. Tamarix parvi- 

 flora. (X 1 A) 



