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The exotic  Tamarix  species,  T .  ramosissima  and  T. chinensis,  were introduced into South Africa in the early 1900s reportedly either for ornamental or soil wind erosion control purposes in the mines. They are, however, currently invading several riparian ecosystems in the country and threatening its biodiversity and proper functioning. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the exotic  Tamarix  species on the soil physicochemical properties vis-à-vis the indigenous  Tamarix  at the Leeu River in the Western Cape Province, of South Africa where they are purvasive. Three transects were laid from the riverbank towards the outer land, where the exotic followed by the native  Tamarix  species predominantly occurred. Soil was sampled from three points per transect and three soil depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm) per point in winter and summer to determine selected soil physicochemical properties. The results showed that total nitrogen (TN), total carbon (TC), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and Magnesium (Mg) concentrations under the native and exotic  Tamarix  species were significantly higher than those in the open land without  Tamarix  species. The salinity under the native and exotic  Tamarix  species was greater (P &lt; 0.05) in the topsoils (0–10 cm) than in the deeper soils (20–30 cm) with 5.05 mS cm −1  and 4.73 mS cm −1 , respectively. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) was higher (P &lt; 0.05) during the winter season under the exotic  Tamarix  species (5.05 mS cm −1 ) followed by the native species (4.73 mS cm −1 ) and it was the lowest in the control (0.16 mS cm −1 ) at 0–10 cm soil depth. Similarly, sodium and sodium absorption ratios (SAR) under the native and exotic  Tamarix  species were significantly greater than those in the control. The highest levels (P &lt; 0.05) of TC were recorded at the topsoil (0–10 cm soil depth) under the exotic  Tamarix  species (1.17%), followed by the native  Tamarix  (1.07%) with the control recording the lowest (0.53%). There were no significant differences (P &lt; 0.05) in K, TC, TN and SOC concentrations at lower soil depths (20–30 cm). The soil texture was significantly affected by the  Tamarix  species. The soil bulk density was lower under the exotic  Tamarix  followed by native  Tamarix  species than the control soils. The soil volumetric water content was higher under the exotic  Tamarix  species compared to the control. This study concludes that the invasion of the exotic and native  Tamarix  species altered the soil properties underneath and created conducive soil conditions for their predominance.

The impact of Tamarix invasion on the soil physicochemical properties