Salix udensis (syn. S. sachalinensis F.Schmidt) is a species of willow native to northeastern Asia, in eastern Siberia (including Kamchatka), northeastern China, and northern Japan.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to tall. The leaves are slender, lanceolate, 6–10 cm long and 0.8–2 cm broad, glossy dark green above, glaucous and slightly hairy below, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced in early spring on catkins 2–3 cm long.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan . It typically takes 20 years to reach maturity.
The cultivar S. udensis 'Sekka' (Japanese fantail willow) is grown as an ornamental plant; it has fasciated stems (stems that are joined abnormally in a flattened arrangement—hence "fantail"), highly prized by Ikebana flower arrangers. The Sekka cultivar has also been found to be resistant to plant pathogens such as rust (Melampsora spp.) caused by pathogenic fungi.
References
External links Global Biodiversity Information Facility (BGIF) Royal Horticultural Society Missouri Botanical Garden Chicago Botanical Garden North Carolina Extension Gardener Boone County Arboretum Google search for images