salt cedar

noun

The tamarisk, a plant of genus Tamarix.

Meanings

nounsalt cedar (plural salt cedars)

plural salt cedars · alternative saltcedar

  1. The tamarisk, a plant of genus Tamarix.
    1. Tamarix ramosissima, an tamarisk plant native to Eurasia, considered invasive in the Southwest United States.
      1 more example

      Until recently, a visit to the Colorado River’s delta, below Morelos Dam, would be met with a mostly dry barren desert sprinkled with salt cedar and other undesirable invasive plant species. Today, that arid landscape is broken up with large areas of healthy riparian habitat filled with cottonwood, willow, and mesquite trees.

      2022 October 27, Julia Morton, “Restoration Efforts in the Colorado River Delta are Working”, in Audubon

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

So named because they tend to grow on saline soils.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

salt cedar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salt%20cedar

MLA

“salt cedar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salt%20cedar. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “salt cedar,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salt%20cedar.

Source: salt cedar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.