Rosemary-leaved willow

Synonyms: Salix repens var. rosmarinifolia (L.) Wimm. & Grab., Siberian willow, nitseloz, netala, Salix anomala E.L. Wolf, Salix repens ssp. rosmarinifolia (L.) Celak., Salix sibirica Pall.

Rosemary-leaved willow (Salix rosmarinifolia L.) – a species of flowering plants of the genus Willow (Salix) of the family Salicaceae (Salicaceae). It grows throughout most of Europe, Siberia, the northern regions of Central Asia, and also in the Far East. It is found on meadows, peatlands, sandy places, and in wet shrub thickets.

It is a low shrub 0.75-1 m high. Crown spreading, wide, dense. Branches thin, spreading or prostrate, reddish-brown or brown-violet. Shoots thin, ascending, flexible, densely or woolly-pubescent, reddish-brown or greenish-yellow, covered with hairs, later glabrous.
Buds ovoid, blunt, reddish-brown, pubescent, later glabrous.

Stipules narrowly lanceolate, caducous, often absent. Leaves flat, straight, narrowed at both ends, 2- cm in length and 0.3-1 cm in width, oblong- or linear-lanceolate, with a narrowly cuneate base, gradually and cuneately acuminate at the apex, usually entire-margined, silky-pubescent on both sides, later glabrous above or sparsely hairy, dark green, dull, bluish or grayish beneath, densely covered with silky, appressed, longitudinal hairs giving a grayish-silvery appearance. In autumn they turn yellow, often blackening when dried. Petioles short, silvery-pubescent.

Catkins numerous, small, almost sessile or on short peduncles, lateral, densely flowered. Staminate catkins ovoid, 1.5-2 cm, pistillate – almost globose, later shortly cylindrical. Bracts blunt, obovate, hairy, dark-brown above. Stamens 2, filaments glabrous, free, reddish, anthers yellow or purple; nectary single, oblong, posterior. Ovary conical, with an ovoid base, on a long stalk, felted; style short; stigma with entire or two-lobed lobes, reddish. Flowers in May, before or at the same time as leafing.

Fruits – dry capsules on a stalk up to 1.5 mm long. Fruits ripen in June.

Chromosome number: 2n=38

Hardiness zone: 4b (-29°C)

Exposure: sun-loving. Tolerates urban conditions. Not demanding regarding growing conditions.

Soil: not demanding to soil, grows on any sufficiently moist soil. Easily tolerates waterlogging, can grow on sands. Prefers calcareous substrates.

Planting: Best planted in spring before bud break. When establishing a willow stand, it is recommended to work the soil in autumn to a depth of 30-80 cm, depending on its fertility and dryness. The top organic layer should be turned downwards. Recommended spacing between seedlings is at least 0.6-2 m, depending on the species. Planting depth – 40-70 cm. Transplanting is recommended up to 3-4 years. On heavy soils, drainage of crushed stone or sand in a layer of 20-30 cm is recommended.

Pruning: tolerates trimming and pruning well. Regular removal of dead shoots and crown shaping is recommended.

Care: practically requires no maintenance.

Propagation: propagated by seed, cuttings and layering.

Pests: longhorn beetles, willow leaf beetle (Lochmaea caprea), Crepidodera aurata, larvae of Hymenoptera (Trichiosoma sibiricum), caterpillars of Lepidoptera (Acleris cristana, Teleiodes notatella, etc.).

Diseases: affected by fungal diseases – fungi of the genera Melampsora, Rhytisma, Erysiphe, Phytophthora ramorum.

Conservation status: listed in the Red Data Book

Uses: one of the most attractive species of shrubby willows growing by water. Widely used in landscape and park design, plantings along ditches and water bodies, as well as on peat soils. Looks striking in solitary and group plantings, on rockeries.