PlantFiles: Saltcedar, Salt Cedar, Five-stamen Tamarix, Tamarisk
Tamarix ramosissima 'Pink Cascade'

This plant is listed on many invasive species lists and has proven to be extremely detrimental to western USA riparian areas. The plant agressively uses up water reserves and further causes desertification. There are active quarantines across many states. Named cultivars may not be exempt from these regulations. Responsible gardeners subscribe to the Voluntary Code of Conduct and the St. Louis Accords.

From the ISSG Global 100 Invasive List

"Tamarix ramosissima is a deciduous shrub and can appear as a small tree that can grow in many different substrates. It can be found where its roots reach the water table, such as floodplains, along irrigation ditches and on lake shores and it can tolerate a wide range of saline or alkaline soils. This species can replace or displace native woody species. It is a poor quality food resource for aquatic consumers, and the stems change the landscape properties of gravel and cobble islands and bars. T. ramosissima supports few native insects and thus is poor habitat for birds. It is able to dominate floodplain communities in the deserts of the Southwest United States due to its ability to tolerate water stress for extended periods of time. An integrated management approach that incorporates multiple control techniques is required to manage this species.
Common Names: salt cedar, Sommertamariske, tamarisk, tamarix "

This plant is listed on the North Dakota invasive/troublesome list and this information is being distributed in a guide developed by the ND Weed Control Association and other agencies.

Plant Features
Perennial, up to 30 feet tall
Evergreen/cedar-like shrub or small tree
Loses all of it's leaves in the fall
Leaves soft, scale-like, turn yellow/reddish before dropping in late fall
Bark is scaly and reddish on older plants, smooth and reddish on younger plants
Large stout taproot with a slender upright or branched trunk
Flowers abundant, white to pink, 5 petals, located on the ends of branches
Blooms May through September
Spreads by plant fragments and pepper size/like seed

Distribution:
Widespread invasive found in ornamental landscape plantings and in moist areas (waterways, shorelines, etc.)

Interesting Facts:
May transpire up to 200 gallons of water daily
Suppresses growth of other plants by excreting salt (increases soil salinity).
Roots known to reach 50 foot depths.
A single plant may produce over half-million seeds per year