The secondary xylem elements show apparent constancy in their characters among the indiginous species of
Tamarix. These characters were studied to evaluate their taxonomic importance. The characters of vessels (width
in cross section and number/mm2) were found important at the sectional level, while characters of rays and fiber
thikness could be important for the distinction of certain species. Wood anatomical characters were found useful
for the identification of Tamarix species when reliable morphological characters such as flowers and fruits are
not available. In this respect, such characters would be useful for the identification of archaeological worked,
non-worked wood material and charcoal.