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Tamarisk family
Tamaricaceae Link
ギョリュウ科
A family of shrubs and small trees distributed in arid and saline habitats from the Mediterranean to Central and East Asia, comprising about 4 genera and 78 species. Tamarix chinensis, native to China, has been planted and naturalized in Japan. These are highly salt-tolerant plants.
Key Characteristics
- ●Leaves are very small and scale-like; salt glands excrete excess salt
- ●Flowers are small and 4- to 5-merous, in pink to white spicate inflorescences
- ●Slender, feathery branchlets are characteristic
- ●Adapted to saline soils, sandy areas, and riverbanks
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Tamaricaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene to Neogene (ca. 40 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of salt glands for salt excretion (acquisition of salt tolerance)
- ・Specialized adaptation to arid and saline soils
Plants in Tamarisk family on this site
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