Does Tamarix dalmatica (Tamaricaceae) occur in Spain?

Abstract

The presence of Tamarix dalmatica in the Iberian Peninsula, and its confusion in Spain with the native species T. boveana and T. africana, is discussed. A morphological comparison between these three species, and a critical study of the causes for the confusion between them, is presented. This includes an analysis of the variability in some morphological characters used for the identification of these species, together with clarifications of some discrepancies between the original descriptions and our observations of the type material. As a conclusion, T. dalmatica is excluded from the Iberian and Balearic floras.

Keywords

• tamarix dalmatica
• tamarix boveana
• tamarix africana
• morphological characters
• taxonomy
• systematics
• iberian peninsula