Calligonum arich Le Houér.
Fre.: Calligone arich. Ara.: Arisch, arich.
Deciduous tree, hermaphrodite, up to 10 m in height, young branches smooth up to 76 cm in length, with internodes 5.2-12.8 mm; old branches with yellow-ochre to brown bark, rarely fissured. Leaves ephemeral, alternate, sessile, subulate. Flowers in fascicles of 2-4 or solitary, arising at the nodes of the stem, shortly pedicellate. Perianth with 6 red tepals, with a red thickening on the dorsal side. Stamens with white anthers. Styles 4, 4-6 mm long, white capitate stigmas. Fruit an achene, violet, fusiform, not twisted, 12-14 mm long, with 4 wide and glabrous ribs and 4 narrow valleculae; the fruit is partially covered by 8 rows of branched hairs, 15-20 mm in length and free to the base, so that the fruit surface is visible.
Flowering:
Late April to early May.
Fruiting:
1-2 months after Flowering.
Habitat:
Ridges and flattened peaks of large dunes. This is a very striking tree, forming small forests up to 2-10 m in height in the middle of the sandy desert.
Distribution:
Ridges and flattened peaks of large dunes. This is a very striking tree, forming small forests up to 2-10 m in height in the middle of the sandy desert.
Observations:
Often confused with C. azel, this species is not accepted by some authors; however, the morphological, molecular and habitat differences are very obvious in our view.
Conservation status:
Rare species of a limited Distribution. It is not considered threatened, but further research is recommended. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In Tunisia it is included in its List of native species that are rare and threatened with extinction (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 19-July-2006).
