Tamarix chinensis

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Tamarix chinensis
Tamarix chinensis 03.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Tamaricaceae
Genus: Tamarix
Species:
T. chinensis
Binomial name
Tamarix chinensis
Synonyms
  • Tamarix pentandraPall.

Tamarix chinensis is a species of tamarisk known by the common names five-stamen tamarisk [1] and Chinese tamarisk [2] or saltcedar. It is native to China and Korea, and it is known in many other parts of the world as an introduced species and sometimes an invasive noxious weed. It easily inhabits moist habitat with saline soils. It may grow as a tree with a single trunk or as a shrub with several spreading erect branches reaching 6 metres or more in maximum height. It has been known to reach 12 metres. [3] It has reddish, brown, or black bark. The small, multibranched twigs are covered in small lance-shaped, scale-like leaves which are no more than about 3 mm long. The inflorescence is a dense raceme of flowers a few cm long. Each fragrant flower has five petals which are usually pink but range from white to red.

This tamarisk can hybridize with Tamarix parviflora . [3] T. ramosissima may be treated in synonymy or as a separate species.

It has become an aggressive invader of wildlands in the southwestern United States, where it was once planted as an ornamental plant. [3] It reproduces vegetatively from its roots and also from its foliage if it happens to be covered by soil, as in sediment-rich flooding. [3] It also reproduces by its seed, which are tiny and tufted with hairs, easily dispersing on the wind. [3] Despite its reputation as a noxious weed, the tree can be useful for wood, in honey production, and as a nesting site for various birds. [3]

In its native habitat in China the plant forms thickets that act as useful barriers on the margins of waterways, including saline ocean shores. [4]

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<i>Tamarix aphylla</i> Species of plant

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Diorhabda carinulata is a species of leaf beetle known as the northern tamarisk beetle, which feeds on tamarisk trees from southern Russia and Iran to Mongolia and western China. This beetle is used in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semiarid ecosystems.

<i>Tamarix gallica</i> Species of plant

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<i>Diorhabda elongata</i> Species of beetle

Diorhabda elongata is a species of leaf beetle known as the Mediterranean tamarisk beetle (MTB) which feeds on tamarisk trees from Portugal and Algeria east to southern Russia. The MTB is used in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

<i>Diorhabda carinata</i> Species of beetle

Diorhabda carinata is a species of leaf beetle known as the larger tamarisk beetle which feeds on tamarisk trees from Ukraine, eastern Turkey and Syria east to northwest China, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, extending as far south as southern Iran. It is used in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

<i>Diorhabda sublineata</i> Species of beetle

Diorhabda sublineata is a leaf beetle known as the subtropical tamarisk beetle (STB). The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1849. It feeds on tamarisk trees from Portugal, Spain and France to Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Iraq. It is used in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

<i>Diorhabda meridionalis</i> Species of beetle

Diorhabda meridionalis is a species of leaf beetle known as the southern tamarisk beetle (SoTB) which feeds on tamarisk trees from Syria to western and southern Iran and southern Pakistan. The SoTB may have potential for use in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

<i>Lappula squarrosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Sphaerophysa salsula</i> Species of legume

Sphaerophysa salsula is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names alkali swainsonpea, Austrian peaweed, and red bladder-vetch. It is native to Asia but it is known in many other parts of the world as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It grows in cultivated land and disturbed habitat, easily tolerating alkaline substrates. It is commonly seen in areas where alfalfa is grown, because the seeds of the two species look similar and the weed seed is easily imported with the crop seed.

<i>Tamarix parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Tamarix parviflora is a species of tamarisk known by the common name smallflower tamarisk.

<i>Dipsacus laciniatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Dipsacus laciniatus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name cutleaf teasel. It is native to Europe and Asia. It is present in North America as an introduced species and invasive weed.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tamarix chinensis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sheppard, W. D. (2008). Tamarix chinensis. In: Bonner, F. T., et al. The Woody Plant Seed Manual. Agric. Handbook No. 727. Washington, DC. USDA, Forest Service. p. 1087-1088.
  4. Cui, B.; et al. (2010). "Responses of saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis) to water table depth and soil salinity in the Yellow River Delta, China". Plant Ecology. 209 (2): 279–290. doi:10.1007/s11258-010-9723-z. S2CID   12541544.