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Tetraclinis (also called arar, araarbut it is ambiguous Arabic name also given to Juniperus phoenicea or Sictus tree) is a genus of evergreen Pinophyta trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Tetraclinis articulata, also known as Thuja articulata, Memidex: sandarac (wood) Retrieved 2012-05-16 sandarac, sandarac tree Collins: sandarac and sandarac tree Retrieved 2012-05-16 or Barbary thuja, Jacques Blondel & James Aronson: Biology and Wildlife of the Mediterranean Region, Oxford University Press 1999 Retrieved 2012-05-16 endemism to the western Mediterranean region.
It is one of only a small number of conifers able to coppice (regrow by sprouting from stumps), an adaptation to survive wildfire and moderate levels of browsing by animals. Old trees that have sprouted repeatedly over a long period form large burls at the base, known as lupias.
The resin, known as sandarac, is used to make varnish and lacquer; it is particularly valued for preserving .
The wood, known as thuya wood, Arc-genesis: Thuya Wood Retrieved 2012-05-16 citron wood, and alerce, and historically also known as thyine wood, is used for decorative woodwork, particularly wood from burls at the base of the trunk. It has been used thus since antiquity (, ), and was used to make valuable furniture in the time of the Roman Empire. The market in Morocco is unsustainable, focusing as it does on the burl, and has resulted in mass deforestation of the species. The species is also threatened by overgrazing, which can kill the coppice regrowth before it gets tall enough to be out of the reach of livestock.
Uses and symbolism
It is the national tree of Malta, where it is known as għargħar (derived from the Arabic عَرْعَر ). It is now being used locally in afforestation projects.
Cultivation
The species is cultivated to be grown as an ornamental tree, valued in hot, dry climates. It is also pruned in a hedge form, for privacy and security. The plant can be trained for use as bonsai specimens.
Fossil record
A related Extinction species, Tetraclinis salicornioides, has leaf and cone of Messinian age (ca. 5.7 Ma) that have been uncovered in Monte Tondo and Borgo Tossignano, northern Apennines, Italy.Palaeoenvironmental analysis of the Messinian macrofossil floras of Tossignano and Monte Tondo (Vena del Gesso Basin, Romagna Apennines, northern Italy) - Vasilis Teodoridis, Zlatko Kvacek, Marco Sami and Edoardo Martinetto - December 2015 DOI: 10.14446/AMNP.2015.249.
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Categories: Cupressaceae, Monotypic Conifer Genera, Flora Of Tunisia, Flora Of Algeria, Flora Of Morocco, Flora Of Spain, Near Threatened Plants, Drought-tolerant Plants, National Symbols Of Malta, Plants Used In Bonsai, Garden Plants Of Africa, Garden Plants Of Europe, Ornamental Trees, Drought-tolerant Trees
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