EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Tamarisk in the Sahara

Tamarisk (cf. Athel Tamarisk, Tamarix aphylla), Family Tamaricaceae 
Sahara Desert, Tunisia

Explanation:  Way down in central Tunisia, northwest Africa, we encounter the mighty Sahara Desert.  Here thrives a rather remarkable plant, the tamarisk.  

This evergreen tree sports a filigree of spreading branches with drooping wiry twigs.  It is remarkably tolerant of the desert heat, aridity, drought, and even salt.  It is used, introduced, to help stabilize dune slopes with its fast growth and deep taproot and spreading root system.  And it is also used for forage, apiculture, and more.

Stems are reddish in younger plants, and the gray-green leaves overlap with the stems.

Species of tamarisk, particularly Tamarix aphylla, is native to northeast Africa, such as here in the Sahara of Tunisia, and also native to western Asia.  

It was introduced in the 1800s to the western United States as an ornamental, but has become a problem invasive species in the southwest U.S.

The Athel tamarisk has a variety of pharmacological uses, including used as a diuretic for tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis, but has much "hidden potential" for other ethnobotanical uses (Alshehri et al. 2021).  Its potential seems to include antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and other uses.  

Other uses purportedly include treatment for tooth and gum infection, fever, asthma, hair loss, and much more.  An amazing array, if research validates its diverse utilities!

      
Another study suggests that such desert trees can remain hydrated and obtain water from the "thin, dry air" by encrusting its leaves with salt (Al-Handawi et al. 2023).   In this way, amazingly, the tamarisk can thrive in hypersaline conditions.

Hail to the hearty tamarisk!

Information:
     Al-Handawi, M. B., P. Commins, R. E. Dinnebier, and P. Naumov.  2023.  Harvesting of aerial humidity with natural hygroscopic salt excretions.  PNAS 1209(45):e2313134120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313134120.
     Alshehri, S. A., S. Wahab, S. S. Abullais, G. Das, U. Hani, W. Ahmad, M. Amir, A. Ahmad, G. Kandasamy, and R. Vasudevan.  2021.  Pharmacological Efficacy of Tamarix aphylla: A Comprehensive Review.  Plants 11(1):118. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010118.