rorida

This is a great ornamental species from China, Japan, Korea and Russia and deserves a place in everyone’s garden! It’s a very vigorous grower with glossy, bright green stems that are covered with white waxy “bloom” when young (like a black grape or plum). It has been suggested that this bloom protects the plant from ants carrying aphids etc. up their slippery stems or perhaps from sun-scald in winter! The trunk remains green for a number of years, then turns gray-green. Leaves are shiny green with a long tapering point at the tip and finely serrated (toothed) edges (like the closely related S. acutifolia). In early Autumn the leaves turn bright yellow as does the species S. acutifolia (S. daphnoides, another close relative, does not turn yellow in Autumn and the leaves are much thicker and have coarser serrations). In July masses of large, pale-pink buds develop and by late summer they turn deep pink and finally bright red. In late winter these male catkins open a bright white; gradually turn yellow with pollen and finally gray. They last for weeks on the plant or in a vase. If not coppiced, this grows into a small tree.

It is great for ornamental uses in the garden, winter displays and cut flower; as the rods from coppicing are tall and pliable they are useful dried for making baskets and fresh for living structures, although they are quite twiggy.