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Extension

Plant Profile 
FYUSE 3d Image

Common Name: Saltcedar
Other Names: Tamarisk
Species Name: Tamarix chinensis
Plant Type: Woody
Family Name: Tamaricaceae, Tamarix Family

Plant Facts 
OriginEastern Asia
DurationPerennial
Distribution in the U.S.Western half of the country
Distribution in OklahomaThroughout the state

ID Characteristics

  • Field Identification Characteristics

    Vegetative

    • Slender, reddish brown branches
    • Branches arched or drooping
    • Leaves scale-like

    Floral

    • Showy columns of pink flowers
    • Long, splitting capsules with fluffy hairs on seeds
  • Leaf and Stem Characteristics
    • Growth Form: Shrub 
    • Leaf Type: Simple 
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate 
    • Leaf Blade Edge: Scale-like
    • Leaf Blade Length: 1-2 millimeters
  • Floral Characteristics
    • Petal Number: 5
    • Flower Color: Pink to White
    • Flower Timing: May-September 
    • Fruit Type: Capsules
Habitat/Ecology 
Soil TypeDry to waterlogged soil; Grows well in sand, clay and extreme saline soil
HabitatFloodplains, along irrigation ditches and around ponds
Successional StageEarly