a Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China;
b Department of Botany, Narasinha Dutt College, 129 Bellilious Road, Howrah 711101, West Bengal, India;
c Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan 838008, Xinjiang, China;
d School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi 653100, Yunnan, China
The taxonomical position of species of the genus Tamarix (Tamaricaceae) has been criticized because of their gross morphological similarities (such as slender, smooth and reddish-brown branches, grey-green foliage and scale leaves), and their systematic relationships remain unclear. In this paper, the leaf epidermal features of 17 species from China are studied based on the micro-morphological characters of the epidermal cells, stomata, salt glands, papillae and epidermal hairs. According to the studies, the leaf epidermal features, together with the character of the flower, are taxonomically clearly distinct. The establishment of Tamarix albiflonum is consolidated. Tamarix korolkowi and T. ramosissima have minimal differences in epidermal characters, and the former is suggested to be a junior synonym. Tamarix ramosissima, T. tarimensis, T. arceuthoides and T. hohenackeri are most similar with respect to their leaf epidermis; considering the common morphological features, habit, distribution and especially the hybridization, it is suggested that these four species are closely genetically related and that the variations among them are probably intraspecific. The new taxonomical evidence indicates the occurrence of 13 species and four variants in China. Presently, Tamarix is a typical plant of arid and semi-arid regions, but its Eocene ancestors lived in warm and humid climates in the coastal areas of the ancient Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the papillae or epidermal hairs, which are outgrowths of the outer epidermal cells facilitating the leaf to respond to water stress and commonly seen in the plants growing in arid or semi-arid areas rather than the plants in warm and humid climates, are of relatively recent origin in Tamarix. The primitive species lack papillae or epidermal hairs, while in evolved species these structures are abundant. Based on the ecological adaptations of the epidermal features, the palaeogeographic implications of Tamarix in the Late Cenozoic of Northwest China are also discussed.
. Epidermal characters of Tamarix L. (Tamaricaceae) from Northwest China and their taxonomic and palaeogeographic implications[J]. Journal of Palaeogeography, 2018, 7(2): 179-196.
. Epidermal characters of Tamarix L. (Tamaricaceae) from Northwest China and their taxonomic and palaeogeographic implications[J]. Journal of Palaeogeography, 2018, 7(2): 179-196.
Abbruzzese G., Kuzminsky E., Jaoudé R.A., Angelaccio C., Eshel A., Scoppola A., Valentini R., 2013. Leaf epidermis morphological differentiation betweenTamarix africana Poir. and Tamarix gallica L.(Tamaricaceae) with ecological remarks. Plant Biosystems, 147, 573-582.
[2]
Alaimo M.G., Gargano M.L., Vizzi D., Venturella G., 2013. Leaf anatomy in Tamarix arborea var. arborea (Tamaricaceae). Plant Biosystems, 147, 21-24.
[3]
Alvin K.L., Boulter M.C., 1974. A controlled method of comparative study of taxodiaceous cuticles.Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 69, 277-286.
[4]
Baranova M.,1987. Historical development of the present classification of morphological type of stomates.The Botanical Review, 53, 53-79.
[5]
Baranova M.,1992. Principles of comparative stomatographic studies of flowering plants.The Botanical Review, 58, 1-99.
[6]
Baum B.R.,1978. The genus Tamarix. Jerusalem, Jerusalem Academic Press.
[7]
Baum B.R., Bassett I.J., Crompton C.W., 1970. Pollen morphology and its relationships to taxonomy and distribution ofTamarix, series Vaginantes. Österreichische Botanische Zeitschrift, 118, 182-188.
[8]
Boissier E.,1867. Flora Orientalis 1. Basel Geneva, pp. 763-779.
[9]
Bunge A.,1851. Alexandri Lehmann Reliquiae Botanicae.Mémoires de L'Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Petersbourg. Divers Savans, 7, 290-296.
[10]
Bunge A.,1852a. Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Flora Russlands und der Steppen Central-Asiens. 119 pp.
[11]
Bunge A.,1852b. Tentamen generís Tamaricum species accuratius definíendi. Dorpat, 44 pp.
[12]
Cheng Z.M., Pan H.X., Yin L.K., 2000. Study on the phytochemistry taxonomy ofTamarix Linn and Myricaria Desv. Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 20, 275-282 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[13]
Evert R.F.,2006. Esau's plant anatomy: Meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant body: Their structure, function, and development, Third Edition. New Jersey, John WileyδSons.
[14]
Feng Y., Yin L.K., 2000. Study on organs morphology and its taxonomic significance ofTamarix L. Arid Zone Research, 17, 40-45 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[15]
Ferris R., Nijs I., Behaeghe T., Impens I., 1996. Elevated CO2 and temperature have different on leaf anatomy of perennial ryegrass in spring and summer.Annals of Botany, 78, 489-497.
[16]
Gaskin J.F., Ghahremani-Nejad F., Zhang D.Y., Jason P.L.A., 2004. A systematic overview of Frankeniaceae and Tamaricaceae from nuclear DNA and plastid sequence data.Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 91, 401-409.
[17]
Glover B.J.,2010. Epidermis: Outer cell layer of the plant (Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS)). New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
[18]
Gupta A.K., Murty Y.S., 1984. The leaf epidermal structures in Tamaricaceae.Acta Botanica Indica, 12, 200-204.
[19]
Hua L., Zhang D.Y., Pan B.R., 2004. Molecular systematics ofTamarix and Myricaria in China inferred from ITS Sequence Data. Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 26, 283-289 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[20]
Jiang D.X., Yang H.Q., 1980. Petroleum spore-pollen assemblages and oil source rock of Yumen oil-bearing region in Gansu.Acta Botanica Sinica, 22, 280-285 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[21]
Jones J.H.,1986. Evolution of the Fagaceae: The implications of foliar features.Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 73, 228-275.
[22]
Kerp H.,1990. The study of fossil gymnosperms by means of cuticular analysis. Palaios, 5, 548-569.
[23]
Kuzminsky E., Angelis P.D., Jaoudé R.A., Abbruzzese G., Terzoli S., Angelaccio C., Giovanbattista D.D., Monteverdi M.C., Valentini R., 2014. Biodiversity of ItalianTamarix spp. populations: Their potential as environmental and productive resources. Rendiconti Lincei, 25, 439-452.
[24]
Ledebour C.F., Meyer C.A., Bunge A., 1829. Flora Altaica 1. Berlin, pp. 421-426.
[25]
Li Q., Yu L.J., Deng Y., Li W., Li M.T., Cao J.H., 2007. Leaf epidermal characters ofLonicera japonica and L. confusa and their ecology adaptation. Journal of Forestry research, 18, 103-108 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[26]
Li Z.H., Chen J., Zhao G.F., Guo Y.P., Kou Y.X., Ma Y.Z., Wang G., Ma X.F., 2012. Response of a desert shrub to past geological and climate change: A phylogeographic study ofReaumuria soongarica(Tamaricaceae) in western China. Journal of Systematics Evolution, 50, 351-361.
[27]
Liu M.T.,1994. Species and its distribution ofTamarix L. from China. Xinjiang Forest Research, 1, 31-34 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[28]
Liu M.T., Liu D.X., Liu Q.H., 2012. Atlas of Comprehensive Research on the Genus Tamarix L. from China. Urumqi, Xinjiang Science and Technology Press (in Chinese with English abstract).
[29]
Loureiro J.D.,1790. Flora Cochinchinensis: Sistens plantas in regno Cochinchina nascentes. Quibus accedunt aliae observatae in Senensi imperio, Africa orientalis, Indiaeque locis variis. Tomus I. Lisbon, Academia Real das Sciencias.
[30]
Monique D.L., Jean D., 1995. Inventory of Mesozoic and Cenozoic woods from Equatorial and North Equatorial Africa.Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 84, 439-480.
[31]
Pan B.R.,1998. The diversity of the Tamaricaceae in China and its conservation strategy. In: Chen, Y., (Ed.), Biological diversity and the future of human beings, proceeding of the second national symposium on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Beijing, Chinese Forestry Press, pp. 114-122 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[32]
Sung Z.C.,1958. Tertiary spore and pollen complexes from the red beds of Chiuchuan, Kansu and their geological and botanical significance.Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, 6, 159-167 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[33]
Villar J.L., Alonso M.A., Juan A., Gaskin J.F., Crespo M.B., 2014. Proposal to conserve the nameTamarix ramosissima against T. pentandra(Tamaricaceae). Taxon, 63, 1140-1141.
[34]
Wang L.T., Yin L.K., 2004. Biodiversity and protection strategy of Tamaricaceae of Jungar Basin in Xinjiang.Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 18, 139-145 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[35]
Wang Y.H., Lu L., Fritsch P.W., Wang H., Wang Y.H., Li D.Z., 2015. Leaf epidermal character variation and evolution in Gaultherieae (Ericaceae).Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 178, 686-710.
[36]
Wei Y., Tan D.Y., Yin L.K., 1999. The discussions on the anatomical structure of leaf and its taxonomic relationship of Tamaricaceae in China. Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 19, 113-118 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[37]
Xi Y.Z.,1988. Studies on pollen morphology of Tamaricaceae in China.Bulletin of Botanical Research, 8, 23-42 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[38]
Xun S.H., Qiao L.Q., Kang Z., He H.B., Chen J.X., 2007. Research progress on germplasm resource and propagation technology ofTamarix L. in China. Journal of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University (Natural Science Edition), 35, 97-102 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[39]
Yang Q., Gaskin J., 2007. Tamarix. In: Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H., (Eds.), Flora of China, Vol. 13. Beijing/St. Louis, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, pp. 59-65.
[40]
Yang W.K., Zhang D.Y., Yin L.K., Zhang L.Y., 2002. Distribution and cluster analysis on the similarity of theTamarix communities in Xinjiang. Arid Zone Research, 19, 6-11 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[41]
Yin L.K.,1995. Tamarix spp., the keystone species of desert ecosystem. Arid Zone Research, 12, 43-47 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[42]
Yin L.K.,2002. The ex-situ protection and the ecological adaptability ofTamarix L. in China. Arid Zone Research, 19, 12-16 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[43]
Yin L.K., Yang W.K., 1998. An evaluation of the plant resources and diversity of Tamaricaceae in China. Proceedings of the International Conference on Desert Technology 4, New Technologies for Sustainable Production in Arid Areas.Journal of Arid Land Studies, 7, 201-204 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[44]
Zhai S.H., Li M.X., 1986. Chromosome number ofTamarix L. Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica, 24, 273-274 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[45]
Zhai S.H., Wang C.G., Gao X.Z., 1983. Morphological and anatomical observations of clasping leaves ofTamarix L. Acta Botanical Sinica, 25, 519-525 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[46]
Zhang D.Y.,2004a. A cladistics analysis ofTamarix from China. Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 26, 275-282 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[47]
Zhang D.Y.,2005. Discuss on some systematical problems of Tamaricaceae.Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 27, 471-478 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[48]
Zhang D.Y., Chen Z.D., Sun H.Y., Yin L.K., Pan B.R., 2000. Systematic studies on some questions of Tamaricaceae based on ITS sequence.Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 20, 421-431 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[49]
Zhang D.Y., Pan B.R., Yin L.K., 2003a. The photogeographical studies ofTamarix(Tamaricaceae). Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 25, 415-427 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[50]
Zhang D.Y., Tan D.Y., Zhang J., Pan B.R., 2003b. Comparative anatomy of Yong Branches of 16 species ofTamarix from China with reference to their ecological significance. Acta Botanica Yunnanica, 25, 653-662 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[51]
Zhang D.Y., Yin L.K., Pan B.R., 2002. A review on the systematics study ofTamarix L. Arid Zone Research, 19, 41-46 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[52]
Zhang P.Y., Liu M.T., 1988. Four new species ofTamarix from China. Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 8, 263 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[53]
Zhang P.Y., Zhang Y.J., 1990. Tamaricaceae. In: Li, H.W., (Ed.), Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS), Tomus 50(2). Beijing, Science Press, pp. 142-177 (in Chinese).
[54]
Zhang Y.M.,2004b. Cluster analysis on pollen morphology of the Tamaricaceae from China.Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 24, 1702-1707 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[55]
Zhang Y.M., Pan B.R., Yin L.K., 1998. Seed morphology of Tamaricaceae in China arid areas and its systematic evolution.Journal of Plant Resources and Environment, 7, 22-27 (in Chinese with English abstract).
[56]
Zhang Y.M., Pan B.R., Yin L.K., 2001. Pollen morphology of the Tamaricaceae from China and its taxonomic significance.Acta Botanica Boreali-Occidentalia Sinica, 21, 857-864 (in Chinese with English abstract).
2018, Vol. 7 
