Tamarix spp. – Tamarisk

Tamarix sp. - Tamarisk, Saltcedar, Salt Cedar

Tamarix sp. - Tamarisk, Saltcedar, Salt Cedar

Tamarix sp. - Tamarisk, Saltcedar, Salt Cedar

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Tamarix spp.

Common Names: Tamarisk, Saltcedar, Salt Cedar

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

Arizona Native Status: Introduced. Six Tamarix species are found in Arizona (Tamarix africana, T. aphylla, T. canariensis, T. chinensis, T. parviflora, and T. ramosissima) and all are naturalized non-natives.

Habitat: Riparian. These tough, invasive weeds can form dense thickets along streams and washes in the desert and uplands, where they can crowd out native riparian plants.

Flower Color: Pink, White

Flowering Season: Spring, Summer

Height: 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) tall or more in favorable locations

Description: The flowers are small and clustered in terminal racemes. The leaves are tiny, scale-like, and blue-green in color. The branches are slender and red-brown to gray-brown in color. The bark becomes rough with age. The plants are highly salt tolerant, and the leaves can excrete salt and may taste salty if licked.

Special Characteristics

Allergenic – The pollen is an allergen.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Violales
Family: Tamaricaceae – Tamarix family
Genus: Tamarix L. – tamarisk

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map