In the Qur’ān, tamarisk or athal is a kind of tree that grew in a wasteland after the flood sent to the tribe of Saba’ destroyed their cultivated fields.

Tamarisk, Tamarix aucheriana has a high resistance to saline soils, and its termite-proof timber is popular in the Arabian Peninsula as a building material and for useful objects.

The common name for the plant is Salt Cedar and the plant has a number of tiny glands on the scale like leaves that collect and then excrete salt form the leaves, so the plant is able to grow is saline conditions which is quite fascinating.

The painting covers the beautiful pale pink pendulous racemes of flowers through to the dried seed pods splitting to release masses of tiny haired seeds.

Painted from specimens found in the Wasit Wetlands conservation area in Sharjah, UAE.

Completed painting size: 53 x 72cm
Main picture x 7, flower dissection x 12, Seed detail x 20, leaf scale showing salt glands x 20
Watercolour on paper

© Sue Wickison

Tamarisk aphylla