French tamarisk, Tamarix gallica: planting, cultivating, multiplying

Tamarixthe French tamarisk is a shrub or small tree with foliage obsolete belonging to the family tamaricaceae. This species is native of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast, also distributed in Spain and Italy, naturalized elsewhere, sometimes invasive (USA). It’s a plante halophyte, adapted to grow in saline soils. It also grows in almost any slightly cool soil, inland, which makes it a small tree native to the vaporous and summer floweringvery tolerant in cultivation.

Description of French tamarisk

Tamarix is a shrub which grows naturally in thicket (suckering) and which measures from 2 to 8 m in height. It shows a main root which descends in depth to capture water and a network of superficial roots which have a great interest in the maintenance of the soil, in particular the sandy soils of the seaside.

It develops a gnarled trunk and fine, highly branched branches, covered with small embarrassing scale-like leaves, only 5 to 15 mm long. Its branches are reminiscent of the habit of Scotch broom or a cypress.

The branches of the year lengthen to the point of falling slightly under the weight of the flowers, which gives its flowering a weeping port absolutely charming.

The flowers are tiny and pale pink (corolla 1 cm), grouped in small clusters, extremely numerous, to the point of eclipsing the foliage.

Nectariferous, they are pollinated by insects. Fine seeds are then produced.

How to cultivate and use Tamaris gallica?

Particularity of French tamarisk compared to salt: lhe French tamarisk is a plant halophyte, able to grow by the sea, estuary, or near salty. He is there extremely drought resistant, using salt to limit perspiration. The salt crystallizes by sweating from its foliage and falls on the ground, washed away by the floods of the high tides.

Its broom branches are resistant to the wind from the coast, but then fit into a specific flag port.

Far from the spray and the wind, ie inland, the French tamarisk takes up a regular crown although still having a gnarled trunk; however, it loses its ability to resist drought linked to salt, and becomes a shrub for well-watered land or along the banks of a river.

Apart from this peculiarity, it is a very easy to grow treetolerant on the nature of the soil and which requires full sun.

He is used in flowering hedgein a windbreak hedge, but is absolutely delicious as a small tree with a tall stem, cleared of its suckers and bearing a somewhat flat and drooping crown, magnificent in flower.

Other uses

Medicinal plant: twigs and leaves are astringent and diuretic

following a cochineal bite, the tamarix produces a sweet exudate called the manna of the Hebrews, sweet and mucilaginous.

Size and care

– the tamarisk supports pruning, and regenerates even after severe pruning.

-maintenance consists in limiting possible suckering.

How to propagate French tamarisk?

The July/August cuttingssemi-lignified resume very artificially.

In November, the cuttings of lignified wood, but of the year, 15 to 20 cm long take root almost systematically.

Root shoots or suckers produce adventitious roots after one year and can be moved in autumn.

Sowing is also possible, leaving the seedling pot to stratify outside.

Species and varieties of Tamarix

About fifty species in this genus

• Tamarix ramosissima, tamaris d’été
• tamarix tetrandra, spring tamarisk

Sheets of plants of the same genus