Tamarix usneoides, locally known as wild tamarisk, is a twiggy shrub or small evergreen tree that grows in saline habitats, semi-deserts and karroid areas in southern Africa, ranging from Angola through Namibia to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

[1] It has a short trunk, thin branches usually growing from ground level, tiny scale-like leaves and spikes of creamy-white flowers.

Tamarix usneoides is a shrub or small tree, up to 6 m (20 ft) tall, with slender branches and an upright form.

The inflorescences can be loose or dense sprays of small flowers in the leaf axils or forming racemes at the tips of the shoots.

It inhabits semi-desert and karoo habitats, riverbanks of dry or temporary rivers, salty alluvial flatlands, areas with subterranean brackish water, dune slacks and rocky deserts, at altitudes of up to 1,370 m (4,500 ft).