Two types of tamarisk threaten Death Valley’s precious, native wetlands; saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) which are deciduous shrubs, and athel (Tamarix aphylla), an evergreen tree species. Both have scaly branches that resemble conifers, hence the name saltcedar. Only the saltcedar has feathery pink flowers that produce a mind-boggling number of seeds. These small, fluffy seeds can float on the wind which allows them to sprout at surrounding water sources. The athel’s seeds do not germinate and are not as invasive.
CrustyOldFart wrote:surfsteve: I agree that as residential plants they are much better than nothing, but I think the concern is that when they get into the wild that they displace native plants. But sure, around Trona they are nice, especially when they get big they can be really attractive trees.
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