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Tamaricaceae
Tamarisk
Tamarix ramosissima
Endurance in adversity.
- Family
- Tamaricaceae
- Genus
- Tamarix
- Native to
- Mediterranean, Middle East, Central Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer, Fall
- Type
- shrub to small tree
- Height
- 6-15 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- dry, saline, alkaline, poor
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 2-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Tamarisk is a salt-secreting halophyte — it actively absorbs salt from saline soil through its roots and then excretes crystals of sodium chloride through specialized glands in its tiny scale-like leaves, which can be tasted when licked.
- Introduced to the American West in the 19th century as an ornamental and windbreak, Tamarix has become one of North America's worst invasive species, invading riverbanks and floodplains and lowering water tables.
- In ancient Mesopotamia and the Hebrew Bible, the tamarisk ('eshel') was a sacred tree planted at wells and used in religious rituals; Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beersheba according to Genesis 21:33.
- The long, feathery plumes of tiny pink flowers can bloom three times per year — in spring, summer, and fall — making tamarisk one of the longest-flowering woody plants in temperate regions.
- A species of scale insect feeds on tamarisk in the Middle East and excretes honeydew that hardens into sweet white flakes — some scholars believe this is the origin of the biblical 'manna' in the Sinai wilderness.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
resilience
2
survival