Salix matsudana

Appearance

''Salix matsudana'' is a medium-sized to large, deciduous, upright, rapidly growing tree to 20–40 ft tall, but has a short lifespan. ''Salix matsudana'' is dioecious, with the male and female catkins on separate trees. The leaves are narrow, light green, around 4–10 cm long and 1–2 cm broad. The flowers are borne in catkins produced early in the spring

Uses

Chinese willow has been introduced into many areas as an ornamental tree, including Australia, Europe and North America.

A particularly popular cultivar of this species is ''Salix matsudana'' 'Tortuosa', the "Corkscrew willow" , in which the branches and twigs grow in a spiral, twisting manner. As a result of the ornamental shape of the branches and twigs, this cultivar is commonly used as a bonsai plant and for floral arrangements. However, this cultivar is susceptible to cankers, and is weak-wooded and prone to storm damage. Cultivars that have been selected to resist this include "Golden Curls" ); "Scarlet Curls"; and "Navajo", the "Navajo willow" selected in the southwestern United States.

Another cultivar of hybrid origin between Chinese willow and white willow is "Austree"; this is an exceptionally fast-growing cultivar with straight branches, sold for screening and fast tree cover. However it too is very prone to cankers and other diseases, making it very short-lived and unsuitable for most of the purposes for which it is sold.