Gnarlodious wrote in message news:b2394982c555783ecbf6e42c9f85661a@TeraNews.. .
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:
[...]
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.

Sorry: I can't have made myself clear. I was asking about the new name
I've met in the American source I quoted: "salt cedar".

("Tamarisk" is from Latin; though it's not known how it got there.
There may be an Arabic connection; but if so, it doesn't seem to be
reflected in modern Arabic.)

Any info on salt cedar?

Mike.