TANNINS AND POLYPHENOLICS OF THE GALLS OFTAMARIX APHYLLA– Part I

Abstract

The galls of Tamarix aphylla (Tamaricaceae), a small tree or shrub with a natural distribution from Morocco to India are known to be rich in tannins; thus producing a very light coloured leather. They may also be used for dyeing as well as for medical purposes. In Egypt, T. aphylla trees are grown in Delta, the Nile valley, Faiyum, the Libyan desert and in the Mediterranean coastal-strip. The galls, known in Morocco as ,,tak-out" o r ,,teggaoutC' are developed in summer and collected in autumn. T. aphylla galls, similar in their tanning properties to oak galls and sumach (H o w e s , 1953) were subjected only to preliminary studies (C h a v e l , 1927) without details concerning the chemistry of their polyphenolics o r tannins. However, C h a k r a b a r t y et al. (1965) reported the isolation of some polyphenolic components, namely isoferulic acid, quercetin, isoquercitrin, tamarixetin and tamarixin from an ethanolic extract of T. aphylla leaves. It was, therefore, interesting to deal with the polyphenolic components and tannins of local T. aphylla galls.

Isorhamnetin, Hispidulin, and Cirsimaritin Identified in Tamarix ramosissima Barks from Southern Xinjiang and Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities

“…Regarding the other main polyphenolics, isorhamnetin was reported to have been identified from T. hispida , T. elongata and T. laxa which were all collected from southern Kazakhstan [11,14]. Quercetin was a common compound in the Tamarix species and had been identified by several researchers [5,8,10,11,15]. Compared to the results of this work, other researchers obtained different polyphenolic compounds from Tamarix .…”