caprea x cinerea S365 ‘Showtime’

I decided that this cultivar should be called ‘Showtime’, as when it is in full flower it really puts on the most amazing show! ‘S365’ is a male triploid hybrid variety created at the University of Toronto as part of a research project to develop new willow cultivars. Its parentage is in question, but is most likely S. caprea × S. cinerea. It makes a fairly upright shrub 10-15ft tall with a 3-5 feet spread after three years if not coppiced. The leaves are dark green and oblong, typically 2-3in long, 1-1.5in wide, with prominent veins on the upper surface. The bark is brown when young, turning green and smooth with age. The flower buds are produced in late summer and are fat, rounded and yellow-orange in color. In late April–early May the male catkins simply explode in a mass of yellow flowers! They are sterile (pollen is not viable—but this doesn’t affect bees from collecting and using the pollen! Without a doubt this is the most prolific producer of cut stems on the market today! ‘S365’ was produced as part of a biomass production programand it serves this purpose very well; it was also selected for its pest resistant. For those of us that want flowers, it’s a winner; its vigour and catkin production is a bonus for us!

Our information for this and more comes from the fine folks at Cornell University.