It has small yellow flowers that open before the leaves appear.

The oblong leaves appear at the base of the plant.

Though the leaves appear to be dormant, that is not the case.

The catkins grow before the leaves appear in the spring.

Above, the first leaves appeared, flat and heavy in the night.

These are two good reasons to cut it back sharply in early spring, before its leaves appear.

The single leaf, appears near the base of the stalk.

The plants begin to need 14 to 16 hours of light a day once the first leaves appear.

They are produced in spring shortly after the new leaves appear.

They bloom for about 10 days, then die down, and new leaves appear to begin the cycle once more.