acutifolia

A showy female selection of a species that grows wild in Russia and east-Asia and is closely related to salix daphnoides. It differs from daphnoides in that the leaves are much thinner in texture and are very pointed.Young twigs are dark red-purple and mature stems are covered with a vivid white bloom (glaucous). Leaves are long, narrow, pointed, bright green and somewhat weeping. Pointed silvery-white catkins are two inches long and show early in March-April well before the leaves appear. In early autumn the leaves turn bright yellow; one of the few willows that have great fall color (S. daphnoides does not do this). Very showy in the winter landscape against dark conifers. Grow in full sun; moist, not wet soils; not fussy about pH.