Tamaricaceae

Tiny, scale-like leaves densely covering slender, feathery branches on shrubs and trees of arid and saline ground; small, pink or white flowers cluster in dense, feathery plumes, the whole plant frequently coated in a fine crust of salt it exudes.

Excretes excess salt directly through specialised leaf glands, coating the foliage in a visible crust that lets it thrive in soils too saline for most other woody plants.

To check whether a plant belongs to Tamaricaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.