While the lavendar color of the Tamarisk plant is nice to see, the plant is actually an invasive species. The Tamarisk Beatle was released in 2005 to combat the spread of the plant and has been quite successful in doing so.
What is tamarisk?
Tamarisk is an invasive shrub or small tree that is found across the American West. Also known as saltcedar, tamarisk favors sites that are inhospitable to native streamside plants because of high salinity, low water availability, and altered streamflow regimes created by dams. Researchers debate the extent of tamarisk’s negative impacts, but this invasive species can and does alter habitat quality for some wildlife, water use by floodplain vegetation, and the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
One successful tamarisk control method is the introduction of a leaf-eating beetle from the tamarisk’s native range in Asia. Where tamarisks are declining, USGS scientists are studying how ecosystems respond to the removal of this invasive species.
Learn more: Southwestern Riparian Zones, Tamarisk Plants, and the Tamarisk Beetle
Related Content
What is an invasive species and why are they a problem?
An invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism (disease, parasite, plant, or animal) that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or to human health. A few well-known examples include the unintentional introduction of the West Nile virus, chestnut blight, the South American...
How can I find the scientific names of plants and animals?
Finding the scientific name requires detective work, because there can be multiple common names that can vary geographically, and similar common names can refer to a variety of organisms. A good starting point is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a database of scientific and common names and broad taxonomic categories.
Why do animals and plants become endangered?
Although extinctions occur naturally, the current rate of plant and animal extinctions is much higher than the natural or historical rates. Habitat loss is the primary cause of higher extinction rates. Other causes include habitat changes, over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful nonnative species, pollution, and the spread of diseases. Learn more...
What is buffelgrass?
Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...
How do Chinese tallow's characteristics make it such an aggressive invader?
The invasive Chinese tallow tree has the ability to reach reproductive age in as little as 3 years and to remain productive for at least 60 years. It does not seem to have a preference for disturbed areas over undisturbed areas and can grow in a variety of places. It can also grow in both full sunlight and shade. It is more tolerant of salinity and flooding than quite a few other native species...
How far has Chinese tallow spread in the United States?
Chinese tallow has been cultivated in nurseries and sold as an ornamental tree used for landscaping; however, it is now classified as a nuisance species in some locations and can no longer be sold. It has separate pollen and seed-bearing flowers, and seeds can be spread by birds and by moving water. Chinese tallow has spread from South Carolina all the way down to Florida, west into Texas, and has...
The Invasive Tamarisk Plant
While the lavendar color of the Tamarisk plant is nice to see, the plant is actually an invasive species. The Tamarisk Beatle was released in 2005 to combat the spread of the plant and has been quite successful in doing so.
Invasive tamarisk on the Colorado River.
This image is of invasive tamarisk (salt cedar) growing on the banks of the Colorado River.
This image is of invasive tamarisk (salt cedar) growing on the banks of the Colorado River.
PubTalk 8/2010 — Invasives and Wildfires in the West
New Crossroads in Science, Policy, and Management
by Julio Betancourt, Sr. Scientist and Desert Ecologist
New Crossroads in Science, Policy, and Management
by Julio Betancourt, Sr. Scientist and Desert Ecologist
Tamarisk plants can make many flowers
Tamarisk plants have been sucessful in southwestern US river- and stream-side habitats, in part because of its ablity to make many flowers and, therefore, seeds.
Tamarisk plants have been sucessful in southwestern US river- and stream-side habitats, in part because of its ablity to make many flowers and, therefore, seeds.
A single species stand of nonnative tamarisk
Single species stand of nonnative tamarisk on the Lower Colorado River at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California
Single species stand of nonnative tamarisk on the Lower Colorado River at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California
Related Content
What is an invasive species and why are they a problem?
An invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism (disease, parasite, plant, or animal) that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or to human health. A few well-known examples include the unintentional introduction of the West Nile virus, chestnut blight, the South American...
How can I find the scientific names of plants and animals?
Finding the scientific name requires detective work, because there can be multiple common names that can vary geographically, and similar common names can refer to a variety of organisms. A good starting point is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a database of scientific and common names and broad taxonomic categories.
Why do animals and plants become endangered?
Although extinctions occur naturally, the current rate of plant and animal extinctions is much higher than the natural or historical rates. Habitat loss is the primary cause of higher extinction rates. Other causes include habitat changes, over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful nonnative species, pollution, and the spread of diseases. Learn more...
What is buffelgrass?
Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...
How do Chinese tallow's characteristics make it such an aggressive invader?
The invasive Chinese tallow tree has the ability to reach reproductive age in as little as 3 years and to remain productive for at least 60 years. It does not seem to have a preference for disturbed areas over undisturbed areas and can grow in a variety of places. It can also grow in both full sunlight and shade. It is more tolerant of salinity and flooding than quite a few other native species...
How far has Chinese tallow spread in the United States?
Chinese tallow has been cultivated in nurseries and sold as an ornamental tree used for landscaping; however, it is now classified as a nuisance species in some locations and can no longer be sold. It has separate pollen and seed-bearing flowers, and seeds can be spread by birds and by moving water. Chinese tallow has spread from South Carolina all the way down to Florida, west into Texas, and has...
The Invasive Tamarisk Plant
While the lavendar color of the Tamarisk plant is nice to see, the plant is actually an invasive species. The Tamarisk Beatle was released in 2005 to combat the spread of the plant and has been quite successful in doing so.
While the lavendar color of the Tamarisk plant is nice to see, the plant is actually an invasive species. The Tamarisk Beatle was released in 2005 to combat the spread of the plant and has been quite successful in doing so.
Invasive tamarisk on the Colorado River.
This image is of invasive tamarisk (salt cedar) growing on the banks of the Colorado River.
This image is of invasive tamarisk (salt cedar) growing on the banks of the Colorado River.
PubTalk 8/2010 — Invasives and Wildfires in the West
New Crossroads in Science, Policy, and Management
by Julio Betancourt, Sr. Scientist and Desert Ecologist
New Crossroads in Science, Policy, and Management
by Julio Betancourt, Sr. Scientist and Desert Ecologist
Tamarisk plants can make many flowers
Tamarisk plants have been sucessful in southwestern US river- and stream-side habitats, in part because of its ablity to make many flowers and, therefore, seeds.
Tamarisk plants have been sucessful in southwestern US river- and stream-side habitats, in part because of its ablity to make many flowers and, therefore, seeds.
A single species stand of nonnative tamarisk
Single species stand of nonnative tamarisk on the Lower Colorado River at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California
Single species stand of nonnative tamarisk on the Lower Colorado River at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, California