Flowers:
Yellow;green (April; male catkins, not ornamentally important;female catkins, not ornamentally important)
Foliage:
Green (Summer); Yellow (Fall)
Fruit:
Brown (3-lobed nutlets in long clusters that resemble "hops")
Soil:
Adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers well-drained soils
Diagnostic Characteristics:
Leaves alternate, simple, 2.5-5" long and 1-2" wide with doubly serrated margins. Brown to red buds are long, pointed, and imbricate, with scales having soft pubescence. Axillary buds curve in toward the stem. This columnar cultivar has a strong central leader and is smaller and slower growing than the similar cultivar 'Fastigiata'. Also compared to 'Fastigiata', 'Columnaris' is tighter and narrower, with leaves that tend to be more distributed along the ends of the branches.
