tamarisk Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any shrub or small tree of the genus Tamarix having small scalelike or needle-shaped leaves and feathery racemes of small white or pinkish flowers; of mostly coastal areas with saline soil

L. tamariscus, also tamarix, tamarice, Skr. tamala, tamalaka, a tree with a very dark bark; cf. tamas darkness: cf. F. tamarisc, tamarix, tamaris.

(Bot.) Any shrub or tree of the genus Tamarix, the species of which are European and Asiatic. They have minute scalelike leaves, and small flowers in spikes. An Arabian species (T. mannifera) is the source of one kind of manna.