dcsimg
Image of Nile tamarisk
Creatures » » Plants » » Dicotyledons » » Tamarix Family »

Nile Tamarisk

Tamarix nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge

Distribution in Egypt

provided by Bibliotheca Alexandrina LifeDesk

Nile Valley North of Nubia, Nile Valley North of Nubia (Location: Delta), Nile Valley North of Nubia (Location: Fayium), Nubia, Libyan Desert Oases, Nubian Desert Oases, Mareotic Sector, North Sinai, Libyan Desert, Isthmic Desert, Nubian Desert, Arabian Desert (Location: Wadi Allaqi), Galala Desert, Gebel Oweinat, South Red Sea Coast, North Red Sea Coast, Gebel Elba, Mountainous Southern Sinai.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
author
BA Cultnat
provider
Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Global Distribution

provided by Bibliotheca Alexandrina LifeDesk

North and Northeast Africa, East Mediterranean Region, Sinai, Arabia.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
author
BA Cultnat
provider
Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Habitat

provided by Bibliotheca Alexandrina LifeDesk

Saline Sandy Soils, Edges of Salt Marshes, Coastal and Inland Sandy Plains, Nile Banks.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
author
BA Cultnat
provider
Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Life Expectancy

provided by Bibliotheca Alexandrina LifeDesk

Perennial.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
author
BA Cultnat
provider
Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Size

provided by Bibliotheca Alexandrina LifeDesk

Height: 2-5 m.

license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
author
BA Cultnat
provider
Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Tamarix nilotica

provided by wikipedia EN

Tamarix nilotica, the Nile tamarisk is a species of shrub or small tree in the tamarisk family. It is found in arid parts of North Africa and the Middle East, particularly areas with high salinity. It forms part of the dune stabilisation process.

Description

Tamarix nilotica is a much-branched shrub or small tree up to 10 m (33 ft) high. The twigs are slender and are half-clasped by the tiny, narrow, lanceolate leaves, up to 3 mm (0.1 in) long. The inflorescence is a raceme 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) long, with many small white or pink flowers, each with a short pedicel, five sepals, five petals and five stamens.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Tamarix nilotica is found in Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. In the Nile Valley in Egypt, this tree grows beside the river and the irrigation channels. It can form dense thickets in suitable locations.[1] It is also found as part of a salt-tolerant community in saline depressions in the Western Desert,[3] and on coastal dunes where its deep roots are able to extract saline water from the subsoil; it has salt-excreting glands to rid itself of the excess salts that would otherwise accumulate.[4]

Ecology

At the Moghra oasis, in the Qattara Depression, there is a brackish lake and a Phragmites swamp, and T. nilotica dominates a zone on the edge of the oasis where the vegetation ceases and the surrounding arid plains start. Here it grows in association with Alhagi maurorum, Nitraria retusa Zygophyllum album and Cressa cretica.[3]

Uses

Tamarix nilotica can help stabilise sand and may form nabkhas as part of the dune forming process. Wind blown sand comes to rest at the foot of the shrub and accumulates, gradually creating a hummock; the shrub's extensive root system continues to extract moisture from the underlying saline substrate and grows at a faster rate than the mound rises.[5]

In Egypt, T. nilotica has been used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, an antipyretic, for alleviating headaches and reducing inflammation. It also has a reputation as an aphrodisiac.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Akhani, H. (2014). "Tamarix nilotica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T19179434A46081355. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T19179434A46081355.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Tamarix nilotica". Global Plants. JSTOR. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b Zahran, M.A.; Willis, A.J. (2013). The Vegetation of Egypt. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 216. ISBN 978-94-015-8066-3.
  4. ^ Brown, Gary; Mies, Bruno (2012). Vegetation Ecology of Socotra. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-94-007-4141-6.
  5. ^ Brown, Gary; Mies, Bruno (2012). Vegetation Ecology of Socotra. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-94-007-4141-6.
license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN

Tamarix nilotica: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Tamarix nilotica, the Nile tamarisk is a species of shrub or small tree in the tamarisk family. It is found in arid parts of North Africa and the Middle East, particularly areas with high salinity. It forms part of the dune stabilisation process.

license
cc-by-sa-3.0
copyright
Wikipedia authors and editors
original
visit source
partner site
wikipedia EN