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Weeping willow grafted on cherry?

16 years ago

Hello,

I've been trying to figure this one out a while. We moved into a house last year that has a weeping tree about 5 feet tall. The leaves and branches look like a weeping willow or white willow (narrow and whitish on the underside)according to my tree ID book but the bark doesn't look like a willow, it is gray and looks almost like a cherry bark. Also, when it grew suckers, it had roundish leaves, totally different than the narrow willow leaves.

It did go nuts this summer - new branches shooting out all over. It was heavily pruned when we moved in last January. It took me nearly an hour or so to get it pruned back to what it looked like last year.

Have you ever heard of a dwarf weeping willow or a willow grafted onto something else?

Thanks for your help.

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Comments (8)

fatamorgana2121
16 years ago
There are weeping cherries. Try looking up pictures of them to compare. I included a link to a page on them below.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Weeping Cherry (Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula')
pineresin
16 years ago
Look up Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula'

Resin
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
16 years ago
The difference in leaves between the weeper and the suckers are most likely due to it being grafted. The suckers are coming from the rootstock.

tj
Embothrium
16 years ago
You would probably get a more attractive specimen without the heavy pruning. Certainly less bother.
heptacodium
16 years ago
Salix purpurea 'Nana' or 'Pendula' grafted onto a standard. The growth that looks non-typical is a sprout and is best pruned off. It's on some kind of willow understock; I don't know what.

As far as whether or not it's a cherry, highly unlikely. Grafts are usually done on closely related species, and almost always within families. There are certain plants called chimeras, but they are rare, and all I can think of are still within a family association.
Embothrium
16 years ago
Ding!
tricia_pa
Original Author
16 years ago
Ding, ding, ding! You guys/girls are great! Mystery solved! I do believe I have a Salix purpurea 'Pendula'.
I looked on the Waverly Farms website & mine looks just like that except the lower branches have been pruned more. They graft theirs on a 5' standard.

I also checked my Michael Dirr tree book and it says the 'Pendula" is usually grafted on a standard.

Thank you everyone! I knew I could count on you. It's a beautiful little tree, the branches sway in the wind and the limbs go to the ground in the summer - it makes a nice screen - I highly recommend.
Embothrium
16 years ago
Plenty of them are also sold on their own roots. I've got one such cascading over a wall. Anyway, since it's a willow there probably will be a need for occasionally pruning it back hard to clear out old stems - I just wouldn't automatically whack it back every year because it was cut back before. Think in terms of periodic rejuvenation, where it is pruned back to stubs or short lengths of stem at the end of winter each time it starts to look shabby or overgrown. Don't snip at it much otherwise, pruning stems back only part way will tend not to produce a satisfactory appearance, unless done only to a limited extent.

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