saltcedar
(Tamarix ramosissima)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Appearance
Tamarix ramosissima is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 15-20 ft. (4.6-6.1 m) in height. The bark is smooth and reddish on younger plants, turning brown and furrowed with age.
Foliage
Leaves are small, scale-like, gray-green in color, and overlap along the stem.
Flowers
The 5-petaled flowers are pale pink to white, in dense plumes that bloom from early spring to late fall.
Fruit
Fruit capsules contain numerous tiny (0.04 in. [0.1 cm] diameter) seeds.
Ecological Threat
T. ramosissima invades stream banks, sandbars, lake margins, wetlands, moist rangelands, and saline environments. It can crowd out native riparian species, diminish early successional habitat, and reduce water tables and interferes with the hydrologic process.
Citations
Winston, R.L., C.B. Randall, De Clerck-Floate, R., McClay, A., Andreas, J. and M. Schwarzländer. 2016. Field Guide for the Biological Control of Weeds in the Northwest. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2014-08. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/Field_Guides_Series/Weeds_of_the_Northwest.pdf
Tamarix ramosissima is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 15-20 ft. (4.6-6.1 m) in height. The bark is smooth and reddish on younger plants, turning brown and furrowed with age.
Foliage
Leaves are small, scale-like, gray-green in color, and overlap along the stem.
Flowers
The 5-petaled flowers are pale pink to white, in dense plumes that bloom from early spring to late fall.
Fruit
Fruit capsules contain numerous tiny (0.04 in. [0.1 cm] diameter) seeds.
Ecological Threat
T. ramosissima invades stream banks, sandbars, lake margins, wetlands, moist rangelands, and saline environments. It can crowd out native riparian species, diminish early successional habitat, and reduce water tables and interferes with the hydrologic process.
Citations
Winston, R.L., C.B. Randall, De Clerck-Floate, R., McClay, A., Andreas, J. and M. Schwarzländer. 2016. Field Guide for the Biological Control of Weeds in the Northwest. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2014-08. Retrieved from https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/Field_Guides_Series/Weeds_of_the_Northwest.pdf
Resources
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- Alberta Weed Control Act
- Arizona Noxious Weeds
- California Invasive Plant Council
- California Noxious Weeds
- Colorado Noxious Weeds
- Iowa Forest Invasive Plants
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Minnesota Noxious Weeds
- Nebraska Noxious Weeds
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Oregon Noxious Weeds
- Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
- South Dakota Noxious Weeds
- Texas Noxious Weeds
- Utah Noxious Weeds - Contain
- Washington Noxious Weeds
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Wyoming Noxious Weeds
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Caryophyllanae |
| Order: Caryophyllales |
| Family: Tamaricaceae |
| Genus: Tamarix |
| Tamarix ramosissima |
Other System Links
Plants: TARA
Bayer: TAARA
GRIN: 50071
ITIS: 22310
NPDN Pest: PEZABBC
NPDN Host: 37008
References
Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.