Salix alba Chermesina - Scarlett Willow

Salix alba Chermesina is the brilliantly scarlet red stemmed variety of the white willow. This willow is known for it’s wonderfully bright red young stems that are most attractive during the winter months.

The Salix alba Chermesina is a male cultivar that grows to become a medium-large tree with an approx. height of 10-15m. It is popularly used as a pollared tree as this encourages the decorative young stems.

The trunk has deep, corky grooves and the leaves are dark green with silvery hairs. The foliage appears in early spring and remains on the tree until late autumn.

This tree will tolerate even the most wet conditions including areas that experience regular flooding.

Salix alba Chermesina is a great choice for planting in parklands and also large gardens.

FACT: Willow wood has served many uses, from cricket bats to fencing hurdles, from trugs and baskets to the frames of river-going coracles.