TAMARISK

[tam.a.risk] n [ME tamarisc, fr. LL tamariscus, fr. L tamaric-, tamarix] (14c): any of a genus (Tamarix of the family Tamaricaceae, the tamarisk family) of chiefly Old World desert shrubs and trees having tiny narrow leaves and masses of minute flowers with five stamens and a one-celled ovary