Large, upright, broad deciduous shrub or small tree (H 5-8 m, W 4-6 m). Crown flattened spherical, broad, open. Branches upright to widely spreading. Bark on young shoots brown-red to bright red, later brown-grey. Leaves lanceolate (6-12 cm), smooth, glossy, mid to dark green above, lighter beneath. Flowers in clusters, catkins (3-4 cm), green-yellow. Flowering period: April-May. Seeds numerous, very tiny, with grey-white hairs. Ripening time: May-June. A tough, adaptable species, normally withstands urban conditions, cold and drought. Good soil-stabilizer.
These plants grow well in sun or in partial shade. Usually they tolerate more sun and heat if given enough moisture; in partial or light shade they need less moisture.
Decidious have woody stems (i. e. tree trunk and branches) and are also called woody plants or trees. Leaves are normally broad, soft and thin.
The plant develops new leaves or needles every spring, which dropp off in autumn. Herbaceous plants can die completely in above ground section and grow back in the spring.
Plant can in otherwise appropriate environment survive cold down to - 23 °C.
Moist soil usually contain morefine clay parts and less sand, more humus and organic materials, they are somewhat heavier, but not hard; water does not run away quickly but stays among soil particles and is long available to plants. There is no stagnant water, soil is airy enough. Drought occurs rarely on such positions. Plants are given more or less permanent, moderate moisture.
Woody plant, normally branched at the ground level into several side stems, usually lacks of a dominant stem. Tree top can be of different shapes, dense or thin, symetric or uneven. Most shrubs reach a height of 1 to 2 metres, but some can grow much higher (up to 8 m); some can grow into very low or carpet-like forms.
