Tamarix parviflora
Encyclopedia
Tamarix parviflora is a species of tamarisk
known by the common name smallflower tamarisk.
It is native to southeastern Europe but it is well-known elsewhere, such as western North America, where it is an invasive
introduced species
.
It easily inhabits moist habitat, especially in saline soils. It is a shrub
or tree
growing up to about 5 meters tall. The branching twigs are covered in tiny linear leaves no more than 2 or 3 millimeters long. The inflorescence
is a dense spike flowers 1 to 4 centimeters long. Each tiny flower has four pink petals.
Tamarix
The genus Tamarix is composed of about 50-60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa...
known by the common name smallflower tamarisk.
It is native to southeastern Europe but it is well-known elsewhere, such as western North America, where it is an invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.
It easily inhabits moist habitat, especially in saline soils. It is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing up to about 5 meters tall. The branching twigs are covered in tiny linear leaves no more than 2 or 3 millimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a dense spike flowers 1 to 4 centimeters long. Each tiny flower has four pink petals.