Salix interior x eriocephala

interior = inner

erio = wooly, cephala = head

referring to the female flowers when the fruit is ripe

Hybrid Native Willow

Salix interior forms natural hybrids with Salix eriocephala. Controlled pollinations using Salix interior from Southern Ontario (A. Mosseler 1990, New Brunswick, Canada) successfully produced F1 hybrids with Salix eriocephala; this is one of the progeny. We received cuttings of this hybrid from Salix Master Extraordinaire, George Argus of Ontario. It is a male selection and grows lustily and there are no signs of it spreading as does S. interior. It has elegant leaves and makes a tall slender plant. Like S. eriocephala it has stipules at the base of the leaves, whereas Salix interior does not.


USES: ornamental shrub, basketry. With parents like these it should be great for erosion control and phytoremediation (cleaning up poisoned soil). Willows have a great ability to take poisons out of the soil and neutralize them ie: phytoremediation

captions to come

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This is the plant in George Argus's garden from which I took my cuttings. It was growing in some shade, with lots of competition from native plants. Late-July.

Above are shoots from plants in the rich soil of of nursery in full sun showing larger leaves and more vigour. Underside of the leaves at right. Mid-September.

Above are shoots from the plant in George's garden in shade showing narrower leaves

and less vigour. Underside of the leaves at right.

NATIVE

HYBRID

Our plants flowered for the first time in 2016 and turned out to be male. Late May.

Stems turn green-brown as they age.

Bright yellow fall color! Mid-September.

Stems turn in early fall are surprisingly hairy.

Bright yellow fall color! Late October, with fall color blazing away in the hill behind.

In Autumn the new growth is covered with silver hairs on the stems...

and on the leaves!

Here are next years flower buds with the curled back bud scales. Pixie-eared stipules on either side of the base of the leaf petioles. Late-October.

Undersides of the leaves are green with no hairs.

WillowWorld

of Michael Dodge