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Synonyms: Reaumuriaceae Ehrenb. ex Lindl.
Common name: Tamarix Family.
Number of genera 4. Number of species 87.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; capsule; loculicidal capsule; capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s); 10 to less than 25-seeded to many-seeded; 10–65-seeded; less than 1 cm long to from 1–5 cm long; 0.4(–1.5) cm long (0.4.1(-1.5)); (2–)4(–5)-carpellate ((2-)3–4(-5)); with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; with carpels not radiating at maturity; with carpels remaining connected at style; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; in transection terete; apex not beaked; dehiscent. Dehiscent unit seed(s). Dehiscent at apex; and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp durable; glabrous (without hairs); without armature; smooth; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; not separating from exocarp; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth; without wing; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without grooves; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril absent. Seed minute, or larger than minute; less than 1 mm long, or 1 to less than 5 mm long; 0.3–1.5 mm long; ovate, or oblong, or elliptic; in transection terete; not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without food reserves, or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm, or perisperm (Cronquist); without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without markedly different marginal tissue; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; tight; dull; surface unsmooth; surface with merged raised features; surface ridged (longitudinally & transversely); without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; brownish pubescent, or glabrous (Tamarix androssowii Litwin); with tuft of hairs at one end (coma), or hairs over surface; with long hairs; densely hairy; with straight hairs; without glandular pubescence; without wings; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades), or red, or white (latter 2 -ish); membranous; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve, or surrounding embryo. Hilum punctate. Endosperm development nuclear, or cellular (Tamarix tetrandra Guebh. ex Bunge); scant, or thin, or trace; smooth; with starch; without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Perisperm scanty; opaque. Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve), or partially filling testa (with food reserve); 0.7–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear; straight, or arcuate; parallel to seed length; embedded in endosperm; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed; 0.4–0.5 times length of embryo (should be more according to drawing); as wide as hypocotyl-radicle, or somewhat to significantly wider than hypocotyl-radicle; 1–1.25 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; thin; flat; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
Old World. Europe, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor.
Weed information
1 or more USA state noxious weeds.
USA states and territories with listed noxious weeds: Colorado (CO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Mexico (NM), North Dakota (ND), Oregon (OR), Puerto Rico (PR), South Dakota (SD), Texas (TX), Washington (WA).
USA state and territory noxious weeds: -- Tamarix chinensis Lour.: USA state noxious weed: CO●, ND●. -- Tamarix parviflora DC.: USA state noxious weed: CO●°, ND●, NE. -- Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.: USA state noxious weed: CO●°, ND●, NE●, OR●, WA●. -- Tamarix spp.: USA state noxious weed: MT●°, NM●, NV●, PR●, SD●, TX●. -- Symbols: ªaquatic weed; ●terrestrial weed; °weed in seed. -- Last updated September 2008.
Listed seeds
ISTA listed seeds.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Tamarix aphylla (L.) H. Karst.w -- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Myricaria Desv. -- Myrtama Ovcz. & Kinzik. -- Reaumuria L. -- Tamarix L.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 404. Qaiser, M. 1987. Studies in the seed morphology of the family Tamaricaceae from Pakistan. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 94:469–484.
General references
Corner, E.J.H. 1976. The seeds of Dicots, esp. vol. 2. Cambridge University Press, New York, Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Gaertner, J. 1788–1805. De fructibus et seminibus plantarum. The Author, Stuttgart, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) and 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) and 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, LeMaout, E. and J. Decaisne. 1876. A general system of botany, 1,065 p. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The plant-book, 706 p. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Schopmeyer, C.S. 1974. Seeds of Woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450:1–883, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Acceptable fruit and seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed, or embryo. Fruit illustration(s): Cronquist. Seed illustration(s): Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne, Qaiser (1987), Karen. Embryo illustration(s): Schopmeyer, LeMaout & Decaisne, Karen. Karen's plate number and taxon (taxa): 116: [Missing rough for (A-C) so no taxon name], Myrtama (Myricaria) elegans (Royle) Ovcz. & Kinzik. (D-F), Reaumuria reflexa Lipski (2: A-C), Tamarix gallica L. (G-I).
• Seed. 1 of 5. Tamarix gallica L.: seed. • Embryo. 2 of 5. Myrtama elegans (Royle) Ovcz. & Kinzik.: embryo. • Embryo. 3 of 5. Reaumuria reflexa Lipsky: embryo. • Embryo. 4 of 5. Reaumuria soongorica (Pall.) Maxim.: embryo. • Embryo. 5 of 5. Tamarix gallica L.: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
