caprea ‘Lemoine’s Improved’

The Lemoine family of Nancy in France introduced many fine shrubs from their nursery during the mid 19th to the early 20thC and are known especially for their hundreds of hybrid lilacs. We know nothing about how they selected this plant, but it’s a fine one. Perhaps someone with access to some of their old catalogues could fill us in? The European Goat Willow is the European equivalent of our native Pussy Willow S. discolor

(in fact this selection may be a hybrid between the two species). The foliage is quite distinct between the two species in that discolor is smooth-surfaced and glaucous underneath, where as caprea has a netted (reticulate) surface with wavy edges. For us, this selection is a very vigorous upright grower and produces masses of pussy willows in late winter. It has responded well to coppicing by producing abundant, vigorous stems with many flowers on them.