Tamarix ramosissima

Tamarix ramosissima Saltcedar
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Tamaricaceae
Genus:	Tamarix
Species:	T. ramosissima
Binomial name
Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb.

Tamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar or Salt Cedar, is a deciduous arching shrub with reddish stems, feathery, pale green foliage, and characteristic small pink flowers.

Description

Tamarix ramosissima is a hardy shrub or small tree native to Europe and Asia. It is a vigorous, deciduous shrub grown for its ornamental reddish stems, its showy plumes of flowers and its unusual feathery leaves. Its hardiness and tolerance for poor soil make it a popular, easy to grow shrub. It can grow up to 8 m in height and up to 5 m in width. It can be used as a screen, windbreak, informal hedge or specimen shrub.^[1]

Tamarix ramosissima produces upright racemes of small, pink, five-petaled flowers from late summer to early autumn which cover the new wood of the plant. It is tolerant of many soil types but prefers a well drained, light or sandy soil in full sun. This plant is considered an invasive species in warmer climates.^[1]

Invasive species

Tamarix ramosissima is a major invasive plant species in the Southwestern United States and Desert Region of California, consuming large amounts of groundwater in riparian and oases habitats.^[1] The balance and strength of the native flora and fauna is being helped by various restoration projects, by removing Tamarisk groves as if they were noxious weeds.^[2]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tamarix ramosissima.

See also

• Introduced species
• Invasive species
• Category: Invasive plant species

Further reading

• CISR - Saltcedar Center for Invasive Species Research summary on Saltcedar.

References