purpurea var. sericea

This unique purpurea variety is distinguished by having silky hairs on the young growth; no other purpurea has this feature. 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 to 7 feet after six years) so it makes a great fence for deer protection. The leaves and stems are similar to ‘Gracilis’ in size and shape.