Pink Tamarisk
Tamarix ramosissima
NEMBA: Category 1b
English: Saltcedar, Pink Tamarisk, Five-stamen Tamarisk
Afrikaans: Perstamarisk
Historical scientific names: Tamarix altaica, Tamarix eversmannii, Tamarix gallica var. micrantha, Tamarix odessana, Tamarix pallasii
Misapplied scientific names: Tamarix pentandra
Tamarix ramosissima, commonly known as Saltcedar or Pink Tamarisk, is a deciduous, feathery-looking shrub or small tree. It is easily identified by its tiny, scale-like leaves and masses of small, pink to purplish flowers that create a soft, airy appearance.
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Origin:
Eurasia (Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, to China and Korea).
Distinguishing features:
Fine, feathery, often grey-green foliage.
Tiny, scale-like leaves that overlap.
Masses of small pink to purplish flowers in dense clusters.
Long, slender, hanging seed pods.
Often found near water or in salty soils.
Overall appearance:
Tamarix ramosissima typically grows as a multi-stemmed, open, and graceful shrub or small tree. It has a distinctive feathery appearance due to its very fine, scale-like leaves and numerous slender branches.
Height:
Typically grows 2 to 5 metres tall, but can reach up to 6 metres or more.
Width:
It can form dense thickets, spreading several metres wide.
Leaves:
The leaves are very small (1.5-4 mm long), scale-like, and overlap along the slender stems. They are typically deep green, greyish-green, or bluish-green. They have special glands that excrete salt, which can often be seen as tiny white crystals on the leaf surface. This salt eventually drops off, increasing soil salinity. The plant is deciduous, losing its leaves in autumn.
Flowers:
The flowers are tiny, 5-petalled, and range in colour from pale pink to purplish-pink. They are produced in dense, slender, elongated clusters (racemes) that are 1.5-7 cm long, grouped together in larger terminal panicles. The flowers are generally hermaphroditic (contain both male and female parts), so it is not dioecious.
Flowering season:
In South Africa, flowering mainly occurs from late spring through summer (October to March), but it can sometimes flower sporadically for much of the year in suitable conditions.
Fruits:
The fruits are very small, papery capsules, typically 3-4 mm long, containing numerous tiny seeds. They are borne in the same slender clusters as the flowers.
Seeds:
The seeds are minute (around 0.45 mm long), with a tuft of long, unicellular hairs (a pappus) at one end. This allows them to be effectively dispersed by wind and water. However, the seeds are short-lived and do not form a persistent seed bank.
Bark:
The bark on younger stems is smooth and reddish-brown. As the plant matures, the bark on the main trunk becomes brown and more furrowed or rough.
Thorns:
This plant does not have thorns.
Wood:
The wood is relatively soft and brittle. It is not typically used for timber or commercial purposes.
Roots:
Tamarix ramosissima has an extensive and deep root system. It is a facultative phreatophyte, meaning its roots can grow very deep to reach groundwater (water table), making it highly resilient in dry conditions.
Soil type:
It is highly tolerant of a wide range of soil types, including sandy, loamy, and clay soils. Crucially, it has a remarkable tolerance for saline (salty) soils, even thriving in conditions too salty for many other plants. It can also grow in disturbed or poor soils.
Aspect:
Thrives in full sun. It is highly heat and drought-tolerant once established and can also tolerate coastal exposure to salt spray.
Edibility:
While not typically consumed, a sweet, mucilaginous substance known as "manna" can be produced by the plant in response to insect damage on the stems. This manna has been used in confectionery in some regions. However, it is not considered a food plant, and direct consumption of plant parts is not recommended.
Toxicity:
Generally considered non-toxic to humans, but its accumulation of salts and subsequent deposition can negatively impact soil and other plants.
Uses:
Historically, it was introduced and planted for ornamental purposes, erosion control, and as windbreaks, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. It is still sometimes used ornamentally where its invasive nature is not understood or controlled.
Ecology:
As a highly invasive species in South Africa, Tamarix ramosissima poses significant ecological threats, especially in riparian zones (areas along rivers and streams), wetlands, and floodplains. It forms dense, impenetrable thickets that:
Displace indigenous vegetation: Outcompeting and replacing native riparian trees and shrubs like willows and acacias, reducing biodiversity.
Alter hydrology: Its deep roots can extract large amounts of water from the water table, lowering groundwater levels and reducing water availability for other plants and ecosystems.
Increase soil salinity: Through its salt-excreting leaves, it concentrates salts in the surface soil, making the area less hospitable for salt-intolerant native plants.
Increase fire risk: The dry, dense thickets can be highly flammable.
Impact wildlife: By replacing native vegetation, it reduces food and habitat for native birds, insects, and other wildlife. It can hybridise with the indigenous Tamarix usneoides and the alien Tamarix chinensis, further threatening native plant genetics and creating more aggressive hybrids.
Distribution and habitat:
In South Africa, Tamarix ramosissima is widespread and highly invasive, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. It is prevalent in all nine provinces, especially problematic in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, and Limpopo, where it invades riparian areas, riverbanks, floodplains, wetlands, and disturbed areas. Its salt tolerance allows it to colonise saline soils and coastal environments effectively.
Derivation of name:
The genus name Tamarix is derived from the Tamaris River (now the Tambre) in Spain, where tamarisk species grow.
The species name ramosissima is Latin for "most branched," referring to its profusely branching growth habit.
Common names like "Saltcedar" refer to its ability to excrete salt and its somewhat cedar-like, scale-like leaves. "Pink Tamarisk" highlights its flower colour.
Historical aspects:
Tamarix ramosissima was introduced to South Africa and other parts of the world from its native Eurasia, primarily for ornamental planting, erosion control, and as a windbreak. Its rapid growth, adaptability, and ability to thrive in harsh conditions, particularly saline environments, led to its widespread planting. However, these very characteristics, combined with prolific seed production, have made it a major invasive threat globally, leading to its classification as a declared invasive species in many countries, including South Africa. Control measures, including biological control, are being implemented to manage its spread.
Interesting facts:
This plant is like a salt factory! It sucks up salt from deep in the soil and then pushes it out through its tiny leaves, making the ground too salty for other plants to grow. Talk about a selfish plant!
It's a real survivor in dry places. Its roots can dive super deep, like a submarine, to find underground water, which helps it live where other plants would just shrivel up.
Even though it looks light and feathery, Tamarix ramosissima forms super dense thickets. Imagine trying to walk through a wall of feathery branches – that's what it can create!
Its seeds are like tiny parachutes! They have little fluffy hairs that help them float on the wind and water, allowing this plant to spread far and wide and take over new areas.
Telling them apart:
Tamarix chinensis and Tamarix ramosissima are similar-looking plants, but botanists can tell them apart by looking at specific features under a microscope. The main differences are:
T. chinensis has smaller sepals (the outer parts that protect the flower bud) that don't have teeth on their edges
Its petals are egg-shaped, while T. ramosissima's petals are wider at the top
Its flower clusters are thicker (5-7 mm vs 3-4 mm)
The way the stamens (pollen-producing parts) attach to the flower is slightly different
T. chinensis has shorter protective leaves (bracts) below its flowers
However, these differences are so subtle that they're very hard to spot with the naked eye in nature - you really need a microscope to tell these plants apart reliably.
Friendly alternatives:
Cape Saltbush
Atriplex vestita
Plumbago
Plumbago auriculata
Blue Kuni-bush
Searsia glauca
Candlewood
Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus
Plant type:
Deciduous, tree or shrub
Plant family:
Tamaricaceae (Latin plant name) - Order: Caryophyllales