88 



TAMARISCIXE/E 



the throat of the corolla ; stigmas 3, caspule 3-valved, 3 seeded. 

 (Named in honour of J- de Monti, an Itali'an botanist.) 



I. y)/. fontdna (Water Blinks). — The only species, an unpre- 

 tending little plant, tufted and pale green, -with spathulate entire 

 hiwes, well marked by the above characters and toinmon in wet 

 places.- -Fl. May — August. Annual. 



Ord. XIV. Tamariscink,+,. — Thi; Tamarisk i'amily. 



Shrubs with whip-like branches, niiiuue scale-like leaves, and 

 lateral spikes of imdXv flowers ; sepals 5, rarely 4, imbricate, per- 

 sistent ; petals 5, rarely 4 ; 

 imbri^cate ; slaineiis 4 — ) o, 

 with \ersatile anthers ; eap- 

 siile 3 — s-'^'alvcd ; i -chamber- 

 ed ; seeds many, tufted with 

 down at the extremity. They 

 are found only in the eastern 

 half of the northern hemi- 

 sphere, and are most numer- 

 ous on the shores of the 

 Mediterranean ; but though 

 preferring tlie seaside, they 

 arc not unfrcquently found on 

 the banks of rivers, and occur, 

 also, in the desert, especially 

 v.liere the soil is impregnated 

 w"th salt, as in the neighbour- 

 liocjd of Mount Sinai, where a 

 s[)eci,es of -Tamarisk, very like 

 the common one, produces 

 a sugary sulistance called 

 Manna by the Arabs. The 

 bark is astringent, and several 

 species are remarkable tor the 

 large quantity of sulphate of 

 soda contained in their ashes, 

 and for the galls which they 

 bear on their branches. 

 These arc highly astringent, 

 and are used both in medicine 

 and in dyeing. 



*i. Tamarix. — Styles 3 — 4, spreading,; stigmas featherv : seeds 

 basal (Name from Tamaris, a river in Spain, now the Tambra, 

 where Tamarisk abounds.) 



^X^T^RJx r.ii.T.TC.A (Coi'rnfon 'fa 



