Virginia Tech Dendrology

saltcedar Tamaricaceae Tamarix chinensis Lour. symbol: TACH2
Leaf: Alternate, very small (1/16 inch), scale-like, gray-green.
Flower: Small (1/8 inch), pink, 5 petals, numerous, occurring at tips of twigs in long narrow clusters each 1 to 2 inches long, very attractive and utilized by honey bees, appearing in late spring and summer.
Fruit: Small, dry, brown, pointed capsules 1/8 inch long containing numerous cottony seeds, ripen in summer.
Twig: Slender, drooping, green branches covered in scale-like foliage, later turning purplish.
Bark: Smooth, reddish brown, numerous lenticels, later developing shallow splits.
Form: Small tree to large shrub up to 20 feet tall, round crown with drooping twigs.
Looks like: athel tamarisk - tamarisk - smallflower tamarisk - Australian pine

Additional Range Information: Tamarix chinensis is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information