Tamarix parviflora

Smallflower tamarisk, Smallflower Tamarisk

Family: Tamaricaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Smallflower tamarisk is a naturalized shrub found in southern North Coast Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehama, Central Valley, western California, southern California coast, western Transverse Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert regions in washes, streambanks, and roadsides at elevations below 1,300 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces delicate pale pink to white flowers in small clusters 1.5 to 4 centimeters long. Growing as a multi-stemmed shrub up to 5 meters tall with slender, spreading branches, it forms dense thickets in disturbed landscapes. Its small leaves are lanceolate, pointed, and tightly arranged along the branches, each measuring 2 to 2.5 millimeters long. The plant's compact flower clusters feature four small petals and sepals, creating a fine, feathery appearance characteristic of tamarisk species.

Habitat: Common. Washes, streambanks, slopes, roadsides

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 1300 m

Bioregions: s NCoR, s SNF, Teh, GV, CW (exc SCoRO), SCo, WTR, GB, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Glenn, San Benito, Los Angeles, Tehama, Yolo, Colusa, Fresno, Riverside, Inyo, Ventura, Kern, San Diego, Monterey, Imperial, Santa Barbara, Butte, San Luis Obispo, Solano, Lake, Marin, Contra Costa, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Alameda, Amador, Yuba, Merced, Lassen, Tuolumne, Sonoma, Siskiyou, San Joaquin

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.