Salix purpurea 'Gracilis'

Dwarf Arctic Willow Salicaceae

The slender purple willow, a neat, finely branched selection forming a dense, rounded shrub, with numerous slender reddish-purple shoots and narrow, silvery blue-green leaves. The young stems are particularly attractive in winter, while the inconspicuous catkins appear in early spring. A useful small willow for damp ground, and readily kept compact by hard pruning; its fine, flexible stems also have a history of use in basketry.

The name has a complicated botanical history. Salix purpurea f. gracilis was described in the nineteenth century for slender, rather decumbent forms of the species, but these were considered by later authorities to fall within the normal variation of S. purpurea. The horticultural plant sold as ‘Gracilis’ is a different matter: it is the compact clone historically known as S. purpurea var. nana Dieck, distributed from the nursery of Dr Georg Dieck at Zöschen in Germany towards the end of the nineteenth century. Its original provenance is unrecorded. 

Consequently, ‘Gracilis’ is best treated as a cultivar name, rather than as the botanical form f. gracilis. Modern references recognise Salix purpurea ‘Gracilis’, with S. purpurea ‘Nana’ and S. purpurea f. gracilis occurring in its nomenclatural history. 

The species itself is native across much of Europe and western Asia, extending into north-west Africa, generally beside rivers, streams and other wet habitats. ‘Gracilis’ should not, however, be presented as a plant from a particular wild locality: the provenance of the horticultural clone is unknown. 

• Hardiness: H6, -20 to -15°C
• Height: 0.5–1 m
• Spread: 1–1.5 m
• Flowers: March–April