Discovered by the famous plant hunter Ernest Wilson during his Chinese exhibition in the early 1900s. This wonderful Prunus has become an elegant display of beauty throughout the year. Its bark and mature branches shine with a smooth, mahogany gloss. Its colours reflect deep tones of cinnamon enriched with shades of red cranberry coffee. The bark peels in translucent sheets that glow in the sunlight. These shedding papery strips are what give the common name of Paper Bark. These sheets reveal the new bark beneath, which contrasts with lighter tones of marmalade and rich drizzled honey. The lateral lenticels are small whilst young, appearing like little fissures on the bark. These reach horizontally, wrapping around the trunk and branches as they mature, providing a crunchy biscuit contrast to the smooth glossy bark.

Some designers enjoy the stained-glass glow through the paper sheets of the bark. Others like to remove these sheets, revealing the swirled tones beneath, wiping the trunk with nut oil to enhance its glossy shine of colour.

The flowers open in spring with small white displays. This is subtle, again allowing the bark to take center stage. The leaves are narrow like willow, with healthy shades of green that melt into yellow for the autumn.

A wonderful specimen that evolves any street location when planted as standard clear stem trees with a raised canopy. It is most stunning as a multi-stem on green verges and public open spaces. Try planting a semi-mature multi-stem against a backdrop of standard clear stem Betula Jacquemontii. The strong white silhouette of the Betula will increase the warm glossy contours of the Serrula.