Salix alba Chermesina - White Willow

Salix alba Chermesina (synonym Salix alba var. britzensis) is a male cultivar of the Coral Bark Willow selected in Germany around 1840 for the red to coppery orange colour of its young wood, which is highly decorative in winter. Slightly less vigorous than its parent, the silver willow, it will also benefit from being pruned regularly, which will promote the growth of its beautiful new branches. From spring to autumn, it adorns itself with shiny foliage that reveals a silver underside in the wind, capturing light in a unique way that makes it stand out from afar. A willow always brings a poetic atmosphere to the garden. This one, ideal for illuminating dark backgrounds, is best suited for a large garden, to enhance the surroundings of ponds or natural pools.

Originally from wet areas of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa, the Salix alba is a highly adaptable and fast-growing tree. It belongs to the family Salicaceae and the genus Salix, which includes no less than 300 species distributed in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This species is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are borne on separate individuals.

The 'Chermesina' willow is a male plant. It has a generally rounded habit, with the tree developing one or several trunks topped by a spreading, semi-open crown. Ultimately, if left unpruned, it will reach an average height of 17.50m (57ft) and a width of 9m. However, severe and regular pruning can lead it to grow as a large upright shrub. The long, flexible branches are reddish-orange to red, yellow-brown to grey, and pubescent when young. They bear deciduous to semi-evergreen leaves in winter, 10cm (4in) long, narrow, and lanceolate in shape. Both sides of the lamina are silky, with the upper side being shiny and a deep green colour, and the lower side white-silver. Flowering occurs in April-May, at the same time as the young leaves appear. The male catkins of 'Chermesina' are slender, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) long, arched, and spreading, with a yellowish colour. The bark of this tree gradually takes on a brown-grey colour and cracks longitudinally over the years. Its powerful root system, both taproot and extensive lateral roots, is perfectly adapted to deep and unstable soils. For this reason, it is advisable to keep this willow away from ducts. The Coral Bark Willow is also a medicinal plant, with its bark being the first source of aspirin. The Salix alba can reach the venerable age of 100 years.

The Chermesina Coral Bark Willow can be planted as a specimen tree or on the edge of a body of water in large gardens. Its copper-toned wood enlivens the garden in winter, just like the coloured wood dogwoods with which it forms beautiful combinations. Its silver foliage is precious for bringing light to a darker ensemble, for example at the edges of woodland. Among the plants that will accompany it near the water, you will find horsetails, reeds, willowherbs, daylilies, sedges, and Typha angustifolia, for example.

Tips: Collect the fallen leaves in autumn and burn them if the tree shows black spots (anthracnose) or yellow-orange spots (rust) during its growth.