A small genus of ornamental feathery-looking shrubs with twiggy stems and small scale-like leaves. The Common British Tamarisk (T. gallica) grows up to 12 ft. high, and is largely used for seaside planting. It produces its white or pink flowers from July to September. There are varieties known as gallica, germanica, and odessana. T. chinensis (japonica plumosa) is similar, but more graceful and feathery in appearance, and is not quite so hardy. Other less-well-known kinds are hispida (khasgarica), parviflora (africana), and tetrandra. They grow in ordinary garden soil and may be increased by cuttings of the ripened wood and by seeds.