Difference between revisions of "White Willow"

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{{SPlantbox
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|familia=Salicaceae
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|genus=Salix
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|species=alba
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|common_name=White Willow
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|habit=tree
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|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|Max ht box=80
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|Max ht metric=ft
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|height_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|Max wd box=30
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|Max wd metric=ft
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|width_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|lifespan=perennial
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|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|exposure=sun
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|sun_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|water=wet, moist
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|water_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
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|features=flowers
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|flower_season=early spring, mid spring, late spring
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|flower_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|Temp Metric=°F
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|min_zone=2
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|usda_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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|max_zone=10
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|sunset_zones=1-24, 30-45
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|image=Salix alba leaves.jpg
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|image_width=240
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|image_caption=White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves
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}}
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'''''Salix alba''''' ('''White Willow''') is a species of [[willow]] native to [[Europe]] and western and central [[Asia]].<ref name=rdm>Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.</ref><ref name=rushforth>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.</ref> The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves.
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It is a medium-sized to large [[deciduous]] [[tree]] growing up to 10–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and an irregular, often leaning crown. The [[bark]] is grey-brown, deeply fissured in older trees. The shoots in the typical species are grey-brown to green-brown. The [[leaf|leaves]] are paler than most other willows, due to a covering of very fine silky white hairs, particularly on the underside; they are 5–10 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide. The [[flower]]s are produced in [[catkin]]s in early spring, and pollinated by [[insect]]s. It is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with male and female catkins on separate trees; the male catkins are 4–5 cm long, the female catkins 3–4 cm long at pollination, lengthening as the fruit matures. When mature in mid summer, the female catkins comprise numerous small (4 mm) [[capsule (fruit)|capsules]] each containing numerous minute [[seed]]s embedded in white down which aids wind dispersal.<ref name=rdm/><ref name=rushforth/><ref name=afm>Mitchell, A. F. (1974). ''A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe''. Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6</ref>
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{{Inc|
 
{{Inc|
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Salix alba, Linn. White Willow. Fig. 3527; also Figs. 3523-3525. Large tree, with short and thick trunk, not excurrent in habit: branches yellowish brown: lvs. ashy gray and silky throughout, giving a white appearance to the whole tree, 2-4 in. long, elliptical. Eu. Gn. 55, p. 87; 61, p. 7.—Heretofore associated with the next species, from which it differs in color of twigs and vesture and color of lvs., as also in its general habit. It is only occasionally seen in Amer. Var. splendens, Anderss. (S. alba var. argentea, Wimm. S. regalis, Hort.). Lvs. densely silky on both sides, nearly silvery-white while young. The forms of this species not easily distinguishable from one another, can be readily distinguished from the following species.
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Salix alba, Linn. White Willow. Large tree, with short and thick trunk, not excurrent in habit: branches yellowish brown: lvs. ashy gray and silky throughout, giving a white appearance to the whole tree, 2-4 in. long, elliptical. —Heretofore associated with the next species, from which it differs in color of twigs and vesture and color of lvs., as also in its general habit. It is only occasionally seen in Amer. Var. splendens, Anderss. (S. alba var. argentea, Wimm. S. regalis, Hort.). Lvs. densely silky on both sides, nearly silvery-white while young. The forms of this species not easily distinguishable from one another, can be readily distinguished from many other species. Var. calva, G. F. W. Mey. (S. alba var. caerulea, Smith). Of pyramidal habit: lvs. larger, at maturity glabrescent, more bluish green above and more glaucous below.
 
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:''See [[White Willow (band)]] for the Norwegian band.''
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==Cultivation==
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:''See [[Golden Willow (horse)|Golden Willow]] for information on the horse of that name.''
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{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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{{Taxobox
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| color = lightgreen
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===Propagation===
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| name = White Willow
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{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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| status = secure
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| image = Salix alba leaves.jpg
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===Pests and diseases===
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| image_width = 250px
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White Willows are fast-growing, but relatively short-lived, being susceptible to several [[disease]]s, including [[Brenneria salicis|watermark disease]] caused by the [[bacterium]] ''[[Brenneria salicis]]'' (named because of the characteristic 'watermark' staining in the [[wood]]; syn. ''Erwinia salicis'') and willow [[anthracnose]], caused by the [[fungus]] ''Marssonina salicicola''. These diseases can be a serious problem on trees grown for timber or ornament.
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| image_caption = White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves
 
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
 
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| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
 
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| genus = ''[[Willow|Salix]]''
 
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| species = '''''S. alba'''''
 
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| binomial = ''Salix alba''
 
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
 
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}}
 
  
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'''''Salix alba''''', the '''White Willow''' is a [[willow]] native to [[Europe]], and western and central [[Asia]]. It is a large [[deciduous]] [[tree]] up to 20-30 m tall. The name derives from the leaves, which are paler than most other willows, due to a covering of very fine silky white hairs, particularly on the underside. The leaves are typically 5-10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. The shoots in the typical species are grey-brown to green-brown. The [[plant sexuality|dioecious]] [[flower]]s are catkins, produced in early spring, and pollinated by bees.
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==Varieties==
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A number of [[cultivar]]s and [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]s have been selected for [[forestry]] and [[horticulture|horticultural]] use:<ref name=rdm/><ref name=rushforth/>
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*''Salix alba'' 'Caerulea' ('''Cricket-bat Willow'''; syn. ''Salix alba'' var. ''caerulea'' (Sm.) Sm.; ''Salix caerulea'' Sm.) is grown as a specialist [[timber]] crop in [[Great Britain|Britain]], mainly for the production of [[cricket bat]]s, and for other uses where a tough, lightweight [[wood]] that does not splinter easily, is required. It is distinguished mainly by its growth form, very fast growing with a single straight stem, and also by its slightly larger leaves (10–11 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide) with a more blue-green colour. Its origin is unknown; it may be a hybrid between White Willow and Crack Willow, but this is not confirmed.<ref name=rdm/>
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*''Salix alba'' 'Vitellina' ('''Golden Willow'''; syn. ''Salix alba'' var. ''vitellina'' (L.) Stokes) is a cultivar grown in gardens for its shoots, which are golden yellow for 1–2 years before turning brown. It is particularly decorative in winter; the best effect is achieved by [[coppicing]] it every 2–3 years to stimulate the production of longer young shoots with better colour. Other similar cultivars include 'Britzensis', 'Cardinal', and 'Chermesina', selected for even brighter orange-red shoots.
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*''Salix alba'' 'Sericea' ('''Silver Willow''') is a cultivar where the white hairs on the leaves are particularly dense, giving it more strongly silvery-white foliage.
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*''Salix alba'' 'Vitellina-Tristis' ('''Golden Weeping Willow''', synonym 'Tristis') is a weeping cultivar with yellow branches that become reddish-orange in winter. It is now rare in cultivation and has been largely replaced by [[Salix Sepulcralis Group 'Chrysocoma']]. It is however still the best choise in very cold parts of the world like Canada, the Northern U.S.A. and Russia.  
  
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==Cultivars and hybrids==
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*The '''Golden Hybrid Weeping Willow''' ([[Salix Sepulcralis Group 'Chrysocoma']]) is a hybrid between White Willow and Peking Willow ''[[Salix babylonica]]''.
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A number of [[cultivar]]s and [[hybrid]]s of White Willow have been selected for [[forestry]] and [[horticulture]] use:
 
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*The '''Cricket-bat Willow''' (''Salix alba'' 'Caerulea'), often referred to simply as '''English Willow''', is grown as a specialist [[timber]] crop in [[Great Britain|Britain]], mainly for the production of [[cricket]] [[cricket bat|bats]], but also for other uses where a tough, lightweight [[wood]] that does not splinter easily, is required. It is distinguished mainly by its growth form, very fast growing with a single straight stem, and also by its slightly larger leaves (10-11 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide) with a more blue-green colour. Its origin is unknown, but it may be a hybrid between White Willow and [[Crack Willow]] (''Salix fragilis'').
 
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*The '''Weeping Willow''' (''Salix × sepulcralis'' 'Chrysocoma', [[synonymy|syn.]] ''Salix'' 'Tristis') is a hybrid between White Willow and [[Peking Willow]] (''Salix babylonica'', syn. ''Salix matsudana'').
 
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[[Image:Salix alba11.jpg|left|thumb|Weeping Willows are a [[hybrid]] between White Willow and [[Peking Willow]]]]
 
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*The '''Golden Willow''' (''Salix alba'' 'Vitellina') is a cultivar grown in gardens for its shoots, which are golden yellow for 1-2 years before turning brown. It is particularly decorative in winter; the best effect is achieved by [[coppicing]] it every 2-3 years to stimulate the production of longer young shoots with better colour. Two other similar cultivars, 'Britzensis' and 'Cardinal', have orange-red shoots.
 
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*The '''White Willow''' is a fast-growing, but short-lived, cultivar being susceptible to several [[disease]]s, including watermark disease caused by the [[bacterium]] ''[[Brenneria salicis|Erwinia salicis]]'' (named because of the characteristic 'watermark' staining in the [[wood]]) and willow [[anthracnose]], caused by the [[fungus]] ''Marssonina salicicola''. These diseases can be a serious problem on trees grown for timber or ornament.
 
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*The '''[[Crack Willow]]''' (''Salix fragilis'') is a medium-sized to large [[deciduous]] tree, which grows rapidly and can be up to 27 m tall. Its preferred habitat is beside rivers. The leaves are bright green, 9-15 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, with a finely serrated margin.
 
  
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==Medicinal uses==
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It readily forms natural [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] with Crack Willow ''[[Salix fragilis]]'', the hybrid being named ''[[Salix × rubens]]'' Schrank.<ref name=rdm/>
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[[Hippocrates]] wrote in the 5th century BC about a bitter powder extracted from willow bark that could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} This remedy is also mentioned in texts from [[ancient Egypt]], [[Sumer]], and [[Assyria]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The Reverend Edward Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire England, noted in 1763 that the bark of the willow was effective in reducing a fever.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
 
  
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The active extract of the bark, called [[salicin]], after the Latin name for the White Willow (Salix alba), was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin, like [[aspirin]], is a chemical derivative of [[salicylic acid]].
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==Gallery==
  
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
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Image:Salix alba 020.jpg|Tree, showing whitish foliage compared to surrounding trees
 
Image:Illustration_Salix_alba0.jpg|White Willow illustration
 
Image:Illustration_Salix_alba0.jpg|White Willow illustration
 
Image:Salix alba(02).jpg|Catkins
 
Image:Salix alba(02).jpg|Catkins
 
Image:Salix alba(01).jpg
 
Image:Salix alba(01).jpg
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Image:Cricketbatparts.jpg|All Cricket bats are made from willow
 
 
Image:Salix Alba.jpg|White Willows in winter time
 
Image:Salix Alba.jpg|White Willows in winter time
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File:Salix alba 011.jpg
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File:Salix alba bark.jpg
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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{{Commons|Salix alba}}
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==References==
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<br>
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
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==References==
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==External links==
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<!-- To add a reference or footnote here, please use an inline citation. See [[Wikipedia:Citing sources#Footnotes]] and [[Wikipedia:Citation templates]] for how to do this. Please do not edit this section directly. -->
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*{{wplink}}
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{{reflist}}
 
  
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[[Category:Salicaceae|Willow, White]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Flora of Armenia|Willow, White]]
 
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[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
 

Latest revision as of 17:04, 18 August 2010


White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: ⇕ 80 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 80.
Width: ⇔ 30 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 30.
Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Bloom: ❀ early spring, mid spring, late spring
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ sun
Water: ◍ wet, moist
Features: ✓ flowers
USDA Zones: 2 to 10
Sunset Zones: 1-24, 30-45
Scientific Names

Salicaceae >

Salix >

alba >


Salix alba (White Willow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.[1][2] The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves.

It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree growing up to 10–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and an irregular, often leaning crown. The bark is grey-brown, deeply fissured in older trees. The shoots in the typical species are grey-brown to green-brown. The leaves are paler than most other willows, due to a covering of very fine silky white hairs, particularly on the underside; they are 5–10 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide. The flowers are produced in catkins in early spring, and pollinated by insects. It is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate trees; the male catkins are 4–5 cm long, the female catkins 3–4 cm long at pollination, lengthening as the fruit matures. When mature in mid summer, the female catkins comprise numerous small (4 mm) capsules each containing numerous minute seeds embedded in white down which aids wind dispersal.[1][2][3]


Read about White Willow in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Salix alba, Linn. White Willow. Large tree, with short and thick trunk, not excurrent in habit: branches yellowish brown: lvs. ashy gray and silky throughout, giving a white appearance to the whole tree, 2-4 in. long, elliptical. —Heretofore associated with the next species, from which it differs in color of twigs and vesture and color of lvs., as also in its general habit. It is only occasionally seen in Amer. Var. splendens, Anderss. (S. alba var. argentea, Wimm. S. regalis, Hort.). Lvs. densely silky on both sides, nearly silvery-white while young. The forms of this species not easily distinguishable from one another, can be readily distinguished from many other species. Var. calva, G. F. W. Mey. (S. alba var. caerulea, Smith). Of pyramidal habit: lvs. larger, at maturity glabrescent, more bluish green above and more glaucous below.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Do you have cultivation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Propagation

Do you have propagation info on this plant? Edit this section!

Pests and diseases

White Willows are fast-growing, but relatively short-lived, being susceptible to several diseases, including watermark disease caused by the bacterium Brenneria salicis (named because of the characteristic 'watermark' staining in the wood; syn. Erwinia salicis) and willow anthracnose, caused by the fungus Marssonina salicicola. These diseases can be a serious problem on trees grown for timber or ornament.

Varieties

A number of cultivars and hybrids have been selected for forestry and horticultural use:[1][2]

  • Salix alba 'Caerulea' (Cricket-bat Willow; syn. Salix alba var. caerulea (Sm.) Sm.; Salix caerulea Sm.) is grown as a specialist timber crop in Britain, mainly for the production of cricket bats, and for other uses where a tough, lightweight wood that does not splinter easily, is required. It is distinguished mainly by its growth form, very fast growing with a single straight stem, and also by its slightly larger leaves (10–11 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide) with a more blue-green colour. Its origin is unknown; it may be a hybrid between White Willow and Crack Willow, but this is not confirmed.[1]
  • Salix alba 'Vitellina' (Golden Willow; syn. Salix alba var. vitellina (L.) Stokes) is a cultivar grown in gardens for its shoots, which are golden yellow for 1–2 years before turning brown. It is particularly decorative in winter; the best effect is achieved by coppicing it every 2–3 years to stimulate the production of longer young shoots with better colour. Other similar cultivars include 'Britzensis', 'Cardinal', and 'Chermesina', selected for even brighter orange-red shoots.
  • Salix alba 'Sericea' (Silver Willow) is a cultivar where the white hairs on the leaves are particularly dense, giving it more strongly silvery-white foliage.
  • Salix alba 'Vitellina-Tristis' (Golden Weeping Willow, synonym 'Tristis') is a weeping cultivar with yellow branches that become reddish-orange in winter. It is now rare in cultivation and has been largely replaced by Salix Sepulcralis Group 'Chrysocoma'. It is however still the best choise in very cold parts of the world like Canada, the Northern U.S.A. and Russia.

It readily forms natural hybrids with Crack Willow Salix fragilis, the hybrid being named Salix × rubens Schrank.[1]

Gallery

  • Tree, showing whitish foliage compared to surrounding trees

  • White Willow illustration

  • Catkins

  • Salix alba(01).jpg

  • White Willows in winter time

  • Salix alba 011.jpg
  • Salix alba bark.jpg

References

External links


  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Meikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6
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