Habitat

• native to southeastern Europe
• hardy to zone 5
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

• a shrub or small tree
• arching branches
• to 15' tall
• deciduous

Summer Foliage

• leaves in alternate arrangement
• leaves are sessile, and lance-shaped
• 0.1" long
• foliage has a feathery appearance
• appears somewhat like juniper foliage

Autumn Foliage

• unimpressive
• green fades and some yellow develops

Flowers

• light pink, small flowers
• blooms in late May to early June
• floral parts in 4's, unlike other Tamarix sp. with parts in 5's
• blooms on the previous seasons growth
• light, fluffy clusters

Fruit

• ornamentally unimportant capsules

Bark

• brown or somewhat purplish

Culture

• prune just after flowering to avoid loss of bloom effect
• root system is sparse so best as a container transplant
• full sun
• average soils
• somewhat salt tolerant
• renewal pruning periodically to retain good landscape form

Landscape Use

• useful for fine, airy texture
• seaside locations where salts spray and dry sandy soils are a concern
• for pink bloom
• shrub border
• looks best in groupings or masses

Liabilities

• winterkill of the tops of the plants in severe winters of zone 5
• stem cankers
• need for renewal pruning maintenance
• winter texture is coarse

ID Features

• overarching branching habit
• fine, scale like foliage
• pink, 4-petaled flowers

Propagation

• by cuttings or seed

Cultivars/Varieties

• none