Elegant False Tamarisk is a deciduous erect shrub that grows to 5 m tall. Old branches red-brown or dark purple, branches of current year green or red-brown. Leaves usually in green branchlets of current year, sessile, narrowly elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate, relatively large, 5-15 × 2-3 mm, base narrow, margin narrowly membranous, apex obtuse or acute. Flower racemes usually lateral, rarely at the end of branches. Petals white, pink or purple-red, obovate, obovate-elliptic, or elliptic, or narrowly obovate or obovate-lanceolate, to 5-6 × 2-3 mm, base gradually narrowing, apex obtuse. Stamens slightly shorter than petals. It grows gregariously by streams, riversides, sandy places at lakesides, at altitudes of 3000-4300 m. Flowering: June-July.
Medicinal uses: The leaves are used externally as a poultice on bruises.