from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tamarisk \Tam"a*risk\, n. [L. tamariscus, also tamarix,
tamarice, Skr. tam[=a]la, tam[=a]laka, 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
({Tamarix mannifera}) is the source of one kind of manna.
[1913 Webster]
{Tamarisk salt tree}, an East Indian tree ({Tamarix
orientalis}) which produces an incrustation of salt.
[1913 Webster]