purpurea var. sericea

This unique purpurea variety is distinguished by having silky hairs on the young growth; no other purpurea has this feature (there may have been some hanky-panky with another species somewhere back in time). It has been suggested that it is a hybrid with Salix viminalis or a selection of S. gilgiana! Stems are orange-brown in the first winter and age to gray in future years. Ours is a female selection with lots of catkins that start gray and mature green. It makes a dense bush similar to Salix purpurea ‘Gracilis’ but grows larger and more erect (6-7ft after six years) so it makes a great fence for deer protection. The leaves and stems are similar to ‘Gracilis’ in size and shape. Think of it as a ‘Gracilis’ on steroids.