Definition of "tamarisk" [tam•a•risk]

• Any of numerous African and Eurasian shrubs or small trees of the genus Tamarix, having small scalelike leaves and racemes of white, pink, or red flowers. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Lord as on another occasion (Nu 11: 31). and in the morning ... a small round thing ... manna -- There is a gum of the same name distilled in this desert region from the tamarisk, which is much prized by the natives, and preserved carefully by those who gather it."
• "The Colorado River is in extreme stress from an invasive non-native shrub called the tamarisk, which was sourced from the eastern Mediterranean to stabilize erosion of riverbeds."
• "The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service last week formally ended its program of releasing saltcedar leaf beetles to eat saltcedar, also known as tamarisk, in 13 states:"