Saltcedar

This is a rare species in Pakistan.

Shrubs or small trees, 1-3(-6) m tall. Old branches dark gray; growing branches of current year ascending, reddish or orange-yellow, long. Leaves of growing branches lanceolate, semiamplexicaul, slightly decurrent; those of vegetative branches broadly ovate-orbicular or triangular-cordate, 2-5 mm, base decurrent, nearly amplexicaul, apex acute. Racemes terminal on branches of current year, clustered into terminal panicles, (0.5-)3-5(-8) cm × 3-5 mm; peduncles 2-10 mm; bracts lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, linear-subulate, or ovate-oblong, 1.5-2(-2.8) mm, equaling or exceeding calyx, apex acuminate. Pedicels 0.5-0.7 mm, shorter than or ca. as long as calyx. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx 0.5-1 mm; sepals broadly elliptic-ovate or ovate, apex acuminate or obtuse; inner 3 wider than outer 2, 0.5-0.7 × 0.3-0.5 mm, margin narrowly membranous, irregularly dentate, not carinate. Petals pink or purple, obovate to broadly elliptic-obovate, 1-1.7 × 0.7-1 mm, ca. 1/3 longer than calyx, apex emarginate, ascending, contacting each other and forming a cup-shaped corolla, persistent in fruit. Disk 5-lobed; lobes emarginate at apex. Stamens 5, equaling or ca. 1.5 × exceeding corolla; filaments not dilated at base, inserted between disk lobes; anthers obtuse or with obtuse protrusions at apex. Ovary conic, triqueter; styles 3, clavate, 1/4-1/3 as long as ovary. Capsule triqueter, conic, 3-5 mm, 3-4 × as long as calyx. Fl. May-Sep. 2n = 24*.

Shrub or small tree, 1-5 in tall, with reddish or reddish brown bark. Leaves sessile, ovate or deltoid cordate, 2-4 (-5) mm long, 1-2 mm broad acute, somewhat subamplexicaul. Inflorescence aestival and vernal both, aestival densely compound racemes, vernal simple, loose, 1-5 (-7) cm long, 3-4 (-5) mm broad on 0.2-1 cm long peduncles. Bracts ovate, trullate, triangular 1.5-2 mm long, 0.5 mm broad, acute, acuminate, with denticulate margin especially in their lower parts, pedicel very small, 0.5 mm long. Flowers pentamerous. Calyx 0.75-1.25 mm long, sepals 0.5-1 mm long inner 3 much broader than the outer 2, ovate, acute, irregularly denticulate with somewhat scarious margin. Petals pink to pinkish purple rarely white, obovate-elliptic obovate, inequilateral, slightly notched at the apex 1.25-1.75 mm long, 0.75-1 mm broad, persistent. Stamens 5, filaments filiform 2.5-3 mm long, inserted in between the lobes of the disc i.e. mesodiscine disc, lobes of the disc deeply emarginate, insertion hypodiscal, anthers obtuse. Styles 3, clavate, connivent, ovary stipitate. Capsule trigonous, 4-5 mm long, 0.75-1 mm broad, dehiscing by 3 longitudinal slits.

Distribution: Korea, China, Mongolia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Fl. Per.: June

Riversides, river valleys, sandy or clayey salty plains, sand dunes. Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, W Xizang [Afghanistan, Mongolia; C and SW Asia, E Europe].