''Searsia pentaphylla'', the tizra tree, is a sumac shrub or small tree species in the genus ''
Searsia'' found in North Africa, especially in Morocco and Algeria, the Levant, and Sicily.
Description
''Searsia pentaphylla'' is typically a thorny shrub or small tree. It is frost resistant.
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Range and habitat
''Searsia pentaphylla'' is native to northwestern Africa, including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, and to Sicily, Israel, and Palestine. In Sicily it is found between Sampieri
Sampieri ( scn, Sampèri) is a southern Italian fishing village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Scicli, a municipality in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily. In 2011 it had a population of 669.
History
Originally settled in the 6th century BC with the na ...
and Cava d'Aliga
Cava d'Aliga is a southern Italian village and marine hamlet (''frazione'') of Scicli, a municipality part of the Province of Ragusa, Sicily.
It has a population of 1600 circa.
Geography
Cava d'Aliga is located by the Mediterranean Sea coast of t ...
.[
Its typical habitat is coastal shrubland in regions with a ]Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
.[
]
Conservation and threats
The shrub is locally abundant in northwestern Africa, and its subpopulations there are considered stable. There are also multiple populations in coastal Israel and Palestine. The conservation status of the species is assessed as least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
.[
The species has a limited distribution in Sicily, and is considered vulnerable there. Fewer than 1,000 mature individuals are known in Sicily. It had been found in Palermo, Sciacca, Linosa, San Vito Lo Capo, but may no longer be present there.][
]
Uses
Its roots and heartwood are used to produce tannin of the condensed type.Tizra on cool.conservation-us.org
/ref>
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15525300
pentaphylla
Plants described in 1798
Flora of the Mediterranean Basin
Flora of North Africa
Flora of Israel
Flora of Palestine (region)
Flora of Sicily