Stachyurus praecox

Published: March 2010

Is a deciduous shrub that is perhaps best noted for its unique and colourful flowers that bloom before the foliage emerges. Flower buds form in autumn and over winter on the plant in pendant, catkin-like racemes that hang from the leaf axils.The flowers appear from February to March with up to 24 yellow blooms on a stem and will last well into April.   The Stachyurus praecox is native to Japan and the Himalayas and is looking particularly spectacular in the Birkett Long  Millennium Walk at Marks Hall.