Obviously it is an American name. Only in America is everything with small
scale-like leafs called a "cedar". Wondering how Casuarina escaped ...
perhaps it smells wrong
PvR

Gnarlodious schreef
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

=========
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.