discolor USDA Select

This is an exceptional female selection of S. discolor selected by the USDA Farm in Big Flats NY for cut-stem production (PMC 910632). It is one of the most vigorous selections of this species and can grow to 8-9ft in a single year after coppicing. It is extremely floriferous with many more flowers per stem than usual. Like the species it is a native plant. Flower buds are almost black and the showy female silver pussy willows appear before the leaves. After pollination the green flowers extend to 3-4in in length, much longer than wild plants. Leaves are shiny dark green above with a smooth texture and velvety-white beneath. Coppiced every year, this plant will yield greater and greater yields for up to 10 years or more. It’s a showy ornamental plant with young red stems that turn almost black in Winter. Grows well in almost any soil including very wet areas.