''Haloxylon'' is a genus of shrubs or small trees, belonging to the plant
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
Amaranthaceae. ''Haloxylon'' and its species are known by the common name saxaul.
According to Dmitry Ushakov, the name borrowed from the
Kazakh "seksevil". In modern Kazakh language, the shrub is called "seksewil". According to the school etymological dictionary, the name ''saksaul'' was borrowed in the 19th century from the Turkic languages.
Description
The species of genus ''Haloxylon'' are shrubs or small trees (rarely up to ) tall, with a thick trunk and many branches. The branches of the current year are green, from erect to pendant. The leaves are reduced to small scales. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s are short shoots borne on the stems of the previous year. The flowers are very small, as long or shorter than the
bracteoles, bisexual or male. The two
stigmas are very short. In fruit, the
perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx ( sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals wh ...
segments develop spreading wings. The fruit with wings is about in diameter. The seed is about in diameter.
Distribution and habitat
The genus ''Haloxylon'' is distributed in southwest and Central Asia, from Egypt to Mongolia and China (
Sinkiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
and
Kansu), where it grows in sandy habitats (
psammophyte).
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Taxonomy
The genus name ''Haloxylon'' was published by Alexander Bunge
Alexander Georg von Bunge (russian: Алекса́ндр Андре́евич Бу́нге; – ) was a Russian botanist. He is best remembered for scientific expeditions into Asia and especially Siberia.
Early life and education
Bunge was ...
(ex Eduard Fenzl) in 1851, with the type species '' Haloxylon ammodendron''.
The genus belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae, It consists of only two species:[
The common name ''saxaul'', sometimes ''sacsaoul'' or ''saksaul'', comes from the Russian ''саксаул'' (''saksaul''), which is from Kazakh ''сексеуiл'' (''seksewil'').
]
Ecology
In the deserts of Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the f ...
, a large number of birds are associated with saxaul, including the saxaul sparrow.
Uses
In the former bed of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea ( ; kk, Арал теңізі, Aral teñızı; uz, Орол денгизи, Orol dengizi; kaa, Арал теңизи, Aral teńizi; russian: Аральское море, Aral'skoye more) was an endorheic lake lying between Kazak ...
, saxaul trees are being planted to stop the wind picking up contaminated sand from the dried up sea bed and spreading them through the atmosphere. The plan is to cover the entire former bed with a forest.
References
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External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q268179
Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae genera
Taxa named by Eduard Fenzl