White Willow

Read about White Willow in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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. 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.

See White Willow (band) for the Norwegian band.

See Golden Willow for information on the horse of that name.

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White Willow

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White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves

Plant Info

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Salicaceae
Genus:	Salix
Species:	S. alba

Binomial name

Salix alba
L.

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 dioecious flowers are catkins, produced in early spring, and pollinated by bees.

Cultivars and hybrids

A number of cultivars and hybrids of White Willow have been selected for forestry and horticulture use:

The Cricket-bat Willow (Salix alba 'Caerulea'), often referred to simply as English Willow, is grown as a specialist timber crop in Britain, mainly for the production of cricket 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).
The Weeping Willow (Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma', syn. Salix 'Tristis') is a hybrid between White Willow and Peking Willow (Salix babylonica, syn. Salix matsudana).

Weeping Willows are a hybrid between White Willow and Peking Willow

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.
The White Willow is a fast-growing, but short-lived, cultivar being susceptible to several diseases, including watermark disease caused by the bacterium 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.
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.

Medicinal uses

Hippocrates wrote in the 5th century BC about a bitter powder extracted from willow bark that could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers.Template:Fact This remedy is also mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria.Template:Fact 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.Template:Fact

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.