Flora of New Zealand Series

Chinese tamarisk

Large shrub or tree to c. 10 m high, glabrous; branches tending to droop. Lvs 0.75-2.5-(4) mm long, lanceolate with broad sheathing base, almost subulate on strong vegetative shoots, entire, not markedly imbricate. Infl. a large, broad, terminal panicle composed of numerous spike-like racemes 2-5 cm long, appearing well after the lvs and on the current season's growth. Bracts 1-1.5-(2) mm long, narrow-lanceolate and acuminate to linear-subulate, pinkish, mostly > pedicels; fls 5-merous. Sepals 0.5-0.8-(1.2) mm long, ovate, green with hyaline, almost entire margin. Petals 1.3-2.2 mm long, broad-elliptic, pink; apex rounded or emarginate. Stamens 5, > petals; anthers pink. Disc of 5 rounded dark red lobes. Style red, stout, < or = petals; stigma stout. Capsule c. 8 mm long, narrowly pyramidal. Seed c. 0.5 mm long, cylindric; hairs united to form column in lower part, the free upper parts reflexed.

N.: Wairau Creek estuary (Milford, Auckland), Waiotahi R. (Opotiki District, Bay of Plenty); S.: near the Waimakariri R. mouth, Christchurch, Rakaia R. and Ashburton R. (Canterbury).

China 1968

Occasional in coastal situations, such as riverbeds and estuaries, beach sand dunes and waste places.

FL Dec-Apr.

A fl. of Chinese tamarisk is illustrated in Fig. 117. Most wild plants have probably originated from detached shoots, because only in a small area of the lower Rakaia R. bed are fruiting plants and seedlings known. T. chinensis is a widely cultivated and common ornamental sp., particularly in the drier parts of the main islands. Recently, it has been planted for coastal reclamation of sands and mudflats, and more than one clone may have been used. The taxon described above is fairly uniform in N.Z. and corresponds to descriptions of the sp. as grown in in N. America; also a suite of specimens (CHR) were determined as T. chinensis by M. Zohary of Jerusalem. However, the plants are also obviously very similar to the closely related T. ramosissima Ledeb. from W. and C. Asia [ see, Baum, B., in Fl. Europ. 2: 293 (1968)], and the 2 spp. have sometimes been confused. T. ramosissima is said to differ mainly in perianth shape and to have denticulate or erose sepal margins.

Fig. 117. A Tamarix chinensis, fl.; B Daphne laureola, frs. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X3W]