Tamarisk or Salt-cedar

Tamarix ramosissima

Family: Tamaricaceae or Tamarisk

Leaves: Alternate; simple; scaly; very small; deciduous; blue-green; no petiole.

Twigs/buds: Twigs slender, spreading, and drooping. Buds small, round.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers perfect; 5 petals; very small; pink; arranged in large, drooping inflorescences at branch ends; open in May. Fruit a small capsule.

Bark: Gray; smooth.

Wood: No information available.

General: Native to China. Much planted in the past in the western U.S., including Utah, for conservation reasons, but has become a naturalized weed along streams in dry areas where it out-competes most native plants. Very salt and drought tolerant. Shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: This shrubby tree is a pest and should no longer be planted. Other species may also have been planted and are occasionally available in nurseries, including Tamarix parviflora. Hardiness ranges from zones 7-10 to zones 2-7, depending on species.

Comments and Limitations:

• Should not be planted because of weediness.