Flora of Israel | Tamarix parviflora

Tamarix parviflora, Tamarix cretica, Saltcedar, Smallflower tamarisk,
Hebrew: אשל קטן פרחים, Arabic: أثل قليل الأزهار


Scientific name:		Tamarix parviflora DC.
Synonym name:		Tamarix cretica Bunge
Common name:		Saltcedar, Smallflower tamarisk
Hebrew name:		אשל קטן פרחים
Arabic name:		أثل قليل الأزهار
Family:		Tamaricaceae, אשליים

_{Location:Herzliya Pituach, HaEshel street}


Life form:		Tree
Leaves:		Alternate, scale; sessile with narrow base, 2-2.5 mm long
Inflorescence:		Vernal inflorescences, in dense clusters along the stems; the racemes 1.5-4 cm long, 3-5 mm broad
Flowers:		small white flowers, 4 petals 1-2 mm long, 4 stamens
Fruits / pods:		Small 3-valved capsule; seeds are very small and bear an apical pappus of hygroscopic hairs
Flowering Period:		March, April, May, June
Habitat:		Desert, Salty habitats
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Perennating

_{Location:Herzliya Pituach, HaEshel street}
Derivation of the botanical name:

Tamarix, the Latin name for this plant derived from the Tamaris River in Spain.

parviflora, parvus, small, little, insignificant; florus, floreo, to bloom, to flower; small flowered.
saltcedar, derives from the superficial resemblance of the leaves to Juniperus which is commonly called ‘cedar.’
The Hebrew name:אשל, eshel, ʾḗšel, Akkadian: ašlu; Ugaritic: Eshel; Aramaic אַתְלָא‎, (atla); Arabic أَثْل‎ (ʾaṯl).

The standard author abbreviation DC. is used to indicate Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1803 – 1890), a Swiss botanist.
The standard author abbreviation Bunge is used to indicate Alexander Georg von Bunge (1803 – 1890), a Russian German botanist.

H.B.Tristram (11 May 1822 – 8 March 1906) , The Natural History of the Bible: “Abraham planted a grove (eshel) in Beersheba” (Gen.XXI.33): “Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree (eshel) at Jabesh” (I Sam. XXXI.13); but, in 1 Chron. X.12, it is called ‘elah,’ an oak. Critics are agreed that ‘eshel‘ signifies some particular tree, and the best authorities identify it with the Arabic asal, the Tamarisk tree. No less than seven species of Tamarisk are found in Palestine, and several of them in great abundance.”

_{Location:Herzliya Pituach, HaEshel street}

_{Location:Hezliya Pituach, HaEshel street; Date Picture Taken: June 6, 2009}

_{Location:Herzliya Pituach, HaEshel street}