Curly Willow (Corkscrew Willow) Tree, Oberlin College

Dark, curling branches of a curly (corkscrew) willow tree, taken from below from a strange, diagonal angle, showing a dense network of extremely curly smaller branches

Apr 13th, 2003, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows a curly willow, also called a corkscrew willow, growing along the pathway between Bosworth Hall / Asia House and the Carnegie Building.

The curly willow is usually a cultivar of Salix matsudana, or the Chinese willow, although there is also a cultivar that is a hybrid with the European white willow. I find this an interesting tree; it is always bizarre, sometimes silly, sometimes beautiful, and sometimes (as in this picture) a bit evil-looking.

If you have not yet seen one of these trees, which tend not to be that widely planted, and you are visiting Oberlin's campus, see if you can find this tree, if it is still there. It is the largest curly willow I have ever seen.