Myricaria Desv.

Shrubs or undershrubs, erect or prostrate. Leaves sessile, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, oblong-ovate or linear-oblong, rarely obovate. Flowers many in terminal or lateral racemes or spike-like racemes, rarely 1- 3-flowered, bracteate, bisexual. Calyx 5-partite nearly to the base; lobes linear-lanceolate, linear-oblong, ovate-lanceolate, oblong-ovate or ovate with scarious margins. Petals 5, obovate, obovate-spathulate or oblong-abovate, persistent or subpersistent. Stamens 10, alternately long and short, monadelphous with filaments connate up to middle or a little above, persistent; free part of filaments usually dilated at base. Disc almost obsolete. Ovary pyramidal to conical with obscurely 3-lobed, capitate, sessile stigma. Capsules elongate-pyramidal. Seeds many, small with sessile, subsessile or stipitate coma.

Europe and mainly in Asia, ca 10 species; 6 in India (all in Himalayas).

Literature. BOBROV, E.G. (1967). A review of the genus Myricaria Desv. (Tamaricaceae) and its histoty. Bot. Zhum. 52: 924 - 936 (in Russian with English summaty). QAISER, M. (1976). Revision of the family Tamaricaceae from Pakistan. 1. The genera Myricaria Desv. and Reaumuria L. Pakistan J. Bot. 8: 199 - 212.

Notes. Myricaria elegans Royle ( = Tamarix ladachensis Baum) is now considered as belonging to a separate monotypic genus, Myrtama Ovcz. & Kinz. For further details see note under Myrtama.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Racemes lax, short, few-flowered

4. Myricaria prostrata

b. Racemes dense, many-flowered

2

2a. Seeds with sessile or subsessile coma; bracts lanceolate to ovate-Ianceolate with narrow scarious margins

3

b. Seeds with stipitate coma; bracts elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblong-ovate, oblong-obovate, rhomboid or trapezoid with broad scarious margins in lower half

4

3a. Prostrate undershrubs; base of peduncle with numerous scales; bracts 7 - 11 x 1.5 - 3 mm; sepals 4 - 6 x 1 - 1.5 mm;petals 6 - 8 x 2 - 3.5 mm, reddish;capsules 10 - 15 mm long

5. Myricaria rosea

b. Erect shrubs; base of peduncles devoid of scales; bracts 3.5 - 7 x 1 - 2 mm; sepals 3 - 4 x 1 mm; petals 4 - 5 x 2 - 2.5 mm,white;capsules 8 - 10 mm long

1. Myricaria albifora

4a. Peduncles with numerous scales at base; bracts rounded or with short obtuse point at apex; margin subentire

5

b. Peduncles devoid of scales at base; bracts long acuminate, margin erose-denticulate

3. Myricaria germanica

5a. Racemes often densely fasciculate; bracts rhomboid, 4.5 - 6 mm broad; leaves usually narrowed at base

2. Myricaria davurica

b. Racemes not fasiculate; bracts elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblong-ovate or oblong-obovate, 1.7 - 3 mm broad; leaves usually rounded at base

6. Myricaria squamosa

List of Lower Taxa