Tamarisks
What are they?
The tamarisks or saltcedars form the family Tamaricaceae and are mostly multi-stemmed shrubs with conifer-like foliage and a mass of pink or white flowers in the summer. Plants may spread by means of seed, or by suckering root systems. In the past, some species have been popular for hedging and screening in coastal areas because of their salt-tolerance, but this is not so common now and many plants look rather old and past their best these days.
Where are they found?
As introduced garden plants, tamarisks could, in theory, be found anywhere that garden debris is left, but many of the ornamental species of gardens do not seem to spread readily and most individuals likely to be found in the wider countryside occur in coastal locations, where they survive from original plantings, or have spread from such plantings.
Identification
Tamarisks as a group are highly distinctive and are very eye-catching when in full flower. However, the various species of tamarisk are very difficult to tell apart and identification depends greatly on minute details of the flower structure, especially the shape of the nectar plate at the base of the flower - most easily seen if the central pistil is removed from the flower). While only one species - Common Tamarisk - is widely recorded in East Anglia, a study of the plants around Cromer, Norfolk in 2022 revealed that the majority of plants along the seafront where Saltcedar. Thus, careful attention to detail should be made of any tamarisk and plants are generally not identifiable to species when not in flower. Note that flowering times are highly variable and, while June-August is typical for most plants, flowers may be found any time from April to September.
Common Tamarisk Tamarix gallica
Introduced from southwest Europe and mostly occurring in coastal regions, more commonly in Suffolk and Essex than in Norfolk. Widely planted for its effectiveness as a salt-tolerant wind-break, but also seeding naturally into coastal habitats, especially shingle banks. Flowers April to September. A wiry, many-stemmed bush, often growing at a strongly leaning angle due to coastal winds and becoming straggly with age. Flowers pink or whitish with five petals and five stamens. Nectar disk circular, not bulging between the base of the stamens, the stamens emerging neatly from the edges of the disk.
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Saltcedar Tamarix ramosissima
Introduced from Central Asia as a garden plant and now available in a number of selected cultivars. Of unknown distribution in our region but may be widely planted in coastal amenity areas. Flowers June to September. A many-stemmed shrub with branches crowded with overlapping, scale-like leaves. Flowers usually rich pink with five petals and five stamens. Nectar disk clearly bearing rounded bulges between the bases of the stamens.
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