Not absolutely sure, but it sounds Arabic. In Israel the shrub is known as
Tamarisk, where it has a strong smell of vanilla while in bloom and inhabits
the most hostile environments.
"Tamar" is actually a Date Palm, there may be some non-botanical relation.

-- Rachel
http://www.Gnarlodious.com/Cogent/Cogent.html


Entity Mike Lyle spoke thus:
Note two-group posting: I hope nobody will mind.

European readers will be familiar with tamarisks as robustly
salt-tolerant but innocent seaside trees or shrubs; US readers, I find
from sci.botany, may know the various species as unstoppable invaders
in certain conditions. At
http://internet.cybermesa.com/~bludevil/P6160002.JPG
the attractive name "salt cedar" is given as an alternative.

Does anybody know the pedigree of the new, presumably American, name?
What is the oldest printed use we have? It's not in OED1, where
*tamarisk" is cited from 1400.

Mike.