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Five Stamen Tamarix Tamarix ramosissima

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Tamarix chinensis
  • Tamarix gallica
  • Tamarix pentandra
Phonetic Spelling
TAM-uh-riks ram-oh-SIS-ee-muh
This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
Description

Salt cedar is a deciduous, thicket forming, flowering shrub or small tree, growing to 5-25 feet tall and often found in coastal areas but also drier areas. The showy flowers last through spring and summer.  It has scaly gray-green juniper-like foliage but is neither a conifer nor an evergreen.  It produces true flowers which are pink and appear from June to August. Its branches are long, slender and arching and have an attractive reddish color. The common name salt cedar comes from not only the plant's ability to withstand saline conditions but to actually produce salt. 

The salt cedar was thought to be introduced to the USA in the the1800s as an ornamental plant. It needs full sun in dry to wet well-drained soils, including heavy clay and alkaline soils. The plant produces 1,000s of seeds that are spread by wind and water over distances. The root system is a deep tap root and spreading rhizomes. It has naturalized in floodplains, riverbanks, ditches, marshes, waste areas and roadsides in many areas of the West, Southwest, east coast and Great Plains. The plant spreads quickly and reduces available water in the ecosystem. It also deposits salt into the soil preventing native plants from growing.

This plant is an invasive species and should not be planted. It is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council, in SC, and several central and western states. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests. Weedy and invasive. See native alternatives to the left.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Pink Cascade'
    Open, multi-stemmed, 15 foot high shrub with arching branches and fine, feathery foliage.
'Pink Cascade'
Tags:
#invasive#drought tolerant#deciduous shrub#salt tolerant#high maintenance#fast growing#aggressive#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#coastal plant#weed#full sun
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Pink Cascade'
    Open, multi-stemmed, 15 foot high shrub with arching branches and fine, feathery foliage.
'Pink Cascade'
Tags:
#invasive#drought tolerant#deciduous shrub#salt tolerant#high maintenance#fast growing#aggressive#sandy soils tolerant#wet soils tolerant#coastal plant#weed#full sun
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Tamarix
    Species:
    ramosissima
    Family:
    Tamaricaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Eastern Europe, Asia, Southern Russia to China
    Distribution:
    California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
    Play Value:
    Wildlife Food Source
    Wind Break
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    deer damage
    Dimensions:
    Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Multi-stemmed
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Description:
    Fruits are dry capsules that split open and disperse many seeds.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Pink
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Long Bloom Season
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Summer
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Pink, feathery racemes in dense spike-like plumes that bloom in spring and summer on new wood.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Shape:
    Lanceolate
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Fine-textured, juniper-like foliage that is compound, alternate, scale-like and tightly overlapping along the stem. Lanceolate in shape with sharp to tapered tips
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Gray/Silver
    Orange
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Form:
    Zig Zags
    Stem Description:
    Reddish, slender, arching branchlets are light red or orange-yellow and weeping when young. Older bark is grey.
  • Landscape:
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Drought
    Poor Soil
    Salt
    Problems:
    Invasive Species
    Weedy