[Illustration: Tamarix pentandra]
Common names: SALTCEDAR, TAMARISK
Arizona, California, and Texas deserts: (_Tamarix pentandra_). Pink to
white. March-August.
Tamarix family. Size: Shrubs to trees up to 15-20 feet high.
Purists could object to inclusion of the Saltcedar in this booklet
because it is not native. However, due to a number of importations
(eight species being introduced by the Department of Agriculture between
1899 and 1915) and to its ability to spread rapidly under suitable
conditions, Saltcedar is now widespread throughout the Southwest.
It grows as a graceful shrub or small tree with drooping branches
covered with small, scale-like leaves and is abundant in moist locations
below 5,000 feet. It prefers a hot climate, low humidity, and saline
soils. In river bottoms, it often forms dense thickets which require
immense quantities of water, hence rob the few desert streams of a high
percentage of their moisture.
Honeybees obtain nectar from the blossoms, which are particularly
noticeable in the spring and early summer, as they completely cover the
branches which appear as light pink, drooping plumes. The thickets are
valuable as wind breaks and in erosion control, and once established,
are very difficult to control and because of the deep shade cast by
their dense growth and the heavy feeding of the shallow roots, they
prevent cropping.
The name Tamarisk is often confused with the name of the Larch or
Tamarack tree. There is little similarity except in the name.
The larger _Tamarix aphylla_ is similar in appearance but much larger
and suitable for cultivation as a shade and decorative tree. It is
subject to winterkill, but does not have the bad habit of spreading,
characteristic of _T. pentandra_.