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{alternateuses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Willows
| image = Willow.jpg
| image_width = 270px
| image_caption = Weeping Willow
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
| genus = '''''Salix''''' [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 350, including:<br/>
''[[Salix acutifolia]]'' - [[Violet Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alaxensis]]'' - [[Alaska Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alba]]'' - [[White Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alpina]]'' - [[Alpine Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix amygdaloides]]'' - [[Peachleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arbuscula]]'' - [[Mountain Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arbusculoides]]'' - [[Littletree Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arctica]]'' - [[Arctic Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix atrocinerea]]''<br/>
''[[Salix aurita]]'' - [[Eared Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix babylonica]]'' - [[Peking Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bakko]]''<br/>
''[[Salix barrattiana]]'' - [[Barratt's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bebbiana]]'' - [[Beaked Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix boothii]]'' - [[Booth Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bouffordii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix brachycarpa]]'' - [[Barren-ground Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix cacuminis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix canariensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix candida]]'' - [[Sage Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix caprea]]'' - [[Goat Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix caroliniana]]'' - [[Coastal Plain Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix chaenomeloides]]''<br/>
''[[Salix chilensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix cinerea]]'' - [[Grey Sallow]]<br/>
''[[Salix cordata]]''<br/>
''[[Salix daphnoides]]'' <br/>
''[[Salix discolor]]'' - Pussy Willow<br/>
''[[Salix eastwoodiae]]'' - [[Eastwood's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix eleagnos]]''<br/>
''[[Salix eriocarpa]]''<br/>
''[[Salix eriocephala]]'' - [[Heartleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix exigua]]'' - [[Sandbar Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix foetida]]'' <br/>
''[[Salix fragilis]]'' - [[Crack Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix futura]]''<br/>
''[[Salix geyeriana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix gilgiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix glauca]]''<br/>
''[[Salix gooddingii]]'' - [[Goodding Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix gracilistyla]]''<br/>
''[[Salix hainanica]]'' - [[Hainan Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix helvetica]]'' - [[Swiss Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix herbacea]]'' - [[Dwarf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix hirsuta]]''<br/>
''[[Salix hookeriana]]'' - [[Hooker's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix hultenii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix humboldtiana]]'' - [[Chile Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix humilis]]'' - [[Upland Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix integra]]''<br/>
''[[Salix interior]]''<br/>
''[[Salix japonica]]''<br/>
''[[Salix jessoensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix koriyanagi]]''<br/>
''[[Salix kusanoi]]''<br/>
''[[Salix lanata]]'' - [[Woolly Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lapponum]]'' - [[Downy Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lasiandra]]'' - [[Pacific Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lasiolepsis]]'' - [[Arroyo Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lucida]]'' - [[Shining Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix magnifica]]''<br/>
''[[Salix matsudana]]'' - [[Chinese Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix miyabeana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix mucronata]]''<br/>
''[[Salix myrtilloides]]'' - [[Swamp Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix myrsinifolia]]'' - [[Dark-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix myrsinites]]'' - [[Whortle-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix nakamurana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix nigra]]'' - [[Black Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pedicellaris]]'' - [[Bog Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pentandra]]'' - [[Bay Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix petiolaris]]'' - [[Slender Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix phylicifolia]]'' - [[Tea-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix planifolia]]''- [[Planeleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix polaris]]'' - [[Polar Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pseudo-argentea]]''<br/>
''[[Salix purpurea]]'' - [[Purple Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pyrifolia]]'' - [[Balsam Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix reinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix repens]]'' - [[Creeping Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix reticulata]]'' - [[Net-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix retusa]]''<br/>
''[[Salix rorida]]''<br/>
''[[Salix rosmarinifolia]]'' - [[Rosemary-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix rupifraga]]''<br/>
''[[Salix salicicola]]''<br/>
''[[Salix schwerinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix scouleriana]]'' - [[Scouler's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix sericea]]'' - [[Sil
ky Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix serissaefolia]]''<br/>
''[[Salix serissima]]'' - [[Autumn Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix shiraii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix sieboldiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix sitchensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix subfragilis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix subopposita]]''<br/>
''[[Salix taraikensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix tetrasperma]]''<br/>
''[[Salix thorelii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix triandra]]'' - [[Almond Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix udensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix viminalis]]'' - [[Common Osier]]<br/>
''[[Salix vulpina]]''<br/>
''[[Salix waldsteiniana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix wallichiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix wilmsii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix woodii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix yezoalpina]]''<br/>
''[[Salix yoshinoi]]''<br/>
}}
The '''willows''' are [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s in the genus '''''Salix''''', part of the willow family [[Salicaceae]].
There are about 350 species in this genus worldwide, found primarily on moist [[soil]]s in cooler zones in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are deciduous, often elongate but round to oval in a few species, and with a serrated margin. Willows are [[plant sexuality|dioecious]] with male and female [[flower]]s appearing as [[catkin]]s on different plants; the catkins are produced early in the spring, often before the leaves or as the new leaves open. The [[fruit]] is a small [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] containing numerous tiny (0.1 mm) [[seed]]s embedded in white down, which assists wind dispersal of the seeds. Willows are very cross-fertile and numerous [[hybrid]]s are known, both naturally occurring and in cultivation.
Some smaller species may also be known by the common names ''osier'' and ''sallow''; the latter name is derived from the same root as the [[Latin]] ''salix''.
Some willows, particularly [[arctic]] and [[alpine climate|alpine]] species, are very small; the '''Dwarf Willow''' (''Salix herbacea'') rarely exceeds 6 cm in height, though spreading widely across the ground.
The '''Weeping Willow''', very widely planted as an [[ornamental plant|ornamental tree]], is a [[cultivar]], ''Salix × sepulcralis'' 'Chrysocoma', derived from a hybrid between the [[China|Chinese]] [[Peking Willow]] and the [[Europe]]an [[White Willow]].
Almost all willows take root very readily from cuttings or where broken branches lie on the ground. There are a few exceptions, including the [[Goat Willow]] and [[Peachleaf Willow]]. One famous example of such growth from cuttings involves the poet [[Alexander Pope]], who begged a twig from a parcel tied with twigs sent from Spain to Lady Suffolk. This twig was planted and thrived, and legend has it that all of England's Weeping Willows are descended from this first one [http://www.uab.edu/english/hone/etexts/edb/day-pages/221-aug09.html].
Willows are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Willows]].
A number of willow species were widely planted in Australia in the past, notably as erosion control measures along watercourses. They are now regarded as an invasive [[weed]] and many catchment management authorities are removing them to be replaced with native trees [http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-1C62D26CD3AF6FE44A2568B300051289-8E21A59E53B35BEFCA256BC80005C14F-E1EB709D7DCE1BC9CA256F070003E8D8-FAC3FFA202EA6384CA256BCF000AD522?open].. [http://www.hoadley.net/cremer/willows/docs/WillowInBiodiversity.pdf].
==Uses==
;Medicinal uses
The bark of the willow tree has been mentioned in ancient texts from [[Assyria]], [[Sumer]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] as a remedy for aches and [[fever]], and the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] physician [[Hippocrates]] wrote about its medicinal properties in the [[5th century BC]]. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments.
The active extract of the bark, called [[salicin]], 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
is acidic when in a [[saturation (chemistry)|saturated solution]] in water (''p''H = 2.4), and is called [[salicylic acid]] for that reason.
In 1897 [[Felix Hoffmann]] created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the ''[[Spiraea]]'' plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally ''[[Acetylsalicylic acid]]'', was named [[aspirin]] by Hoffmann's employer [[Bayer|Bayer AG]]. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as [[NSAIDs|non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs]] (NSAIDs).
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Willows
| image = Willow.jpg
| image_width = 270px
| image_caption = Weeping Willow
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
| genus = '''''Salix''''' [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 350, including:<br/>
''[[Salix acutifolia]]'' - [[Violet Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alaxensis]]'' - [[Alaska Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alba]]'' - [[White Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix alpina]]'' - [[Alpine Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix amygdaloides]]'' - [[Peachleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arbuscula]]'' - [[Mountain Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arbusculoides]]'' - [[Littletree Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix arctica]]'' - [[Arctic Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix atrocinerea]]''<br/>
''[[Salix aurita]]'' - [[Eared Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix babylonica]]'' - [[Peking Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bakko]]''<br/>
''[[Salix barrattiana]]'' - [[Barratt's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bebbiana]]'' - [[Beaked Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix boothii]]'' - [[Booth Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix bouffordii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix brachycarpa]]'' - [[Barren-ground Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix cacuminis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix canariensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix candida]]'' - [[Sage Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix caprea]]'' - [[Goat Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix caroliniana]]'' - [[Coastal Plain Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix chaenomeloides]]''<br/>
''[[Salix chilensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix cinerea]]'' - [[Grey Sallow]]<br/>
''[[Salix cordata]]''<br/>
''[[Salix daphnoides]]'' <br/>
''[[Salix discolor]]'' - Pussy Willow<br/>
''[[Salix eastwoodiae]]'' - [[Eastwood's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix eleagnos]]''<br/>
''[[Salix eriocarpa]]''<br/>
''[[Salix eriocephala]]'' - [[Heartleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix exigua]]'' - [[Sandbar Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix foetida]]'' <br/>
''[[Salix fragilis]]'' - [[Crack Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix futura]]''<br/>
''[[Salix geyeriana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix gilgiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix glauca]]''<br/>
''[[Salix gooddingii]]'' - [[Goodding Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix gracilistyla]]''<br/>
''[[Salix hainanica]]'' - [[Hainan Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix helvetica]]'' - [[Swiss Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix herbacea]]'' - [[Dwarf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix hirsuta]]''<br/>
''[[Salix hookeriana]]'' - [[Hooker's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix hultenii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix humboldtiana]]'' - [[Chile Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix humilis]]'' - [[Upland Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix integra]]''<br/>
''[[Salix interior]]''<br/>
''[[Salix japonica]]''<br/>
''[[Salix jessoensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix koriyanagi]]''<br/>
''[[Salix kusanoi]]''<br/>
''[[Salix lanata]]'' - [[Woolly Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lapponum]]'' - [[Downy Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lasiandra]]'' - [[Pacific Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lasiolepsis]]'' - [[Arroyo Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix lucida]]'' - [[Shining Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix magnifica]]''<br/>
''[[Salix matsudana]]'' - [[Chinese Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix miyabeana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix mucronata]]''<br/>
''[[Salix myrtilloides]]'' - [[Swamp Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix myrsinifolia]]'' - [[Dark-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix myrsinites]]'' - [[Whortle-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix nakamurana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix nigra]]'' - [[Black Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pedicellaris]]'' - [[Bog Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pentandra]]'' - [[Bay Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix petiolaris]]'' - [[Slender Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix phylicifolia]]'' - [[Tea-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix planifolia]]''- [[Planeleaf Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix polaris]]'' - [[Polar Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pseudo-argentea]]''<br/>
''[[Salix purpurea]]'' - [[Purple Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix pyrifolia]]'' - [[Balsam Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix reinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix repens]]'' - [[Creeping Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix reticulata]]'' - [[Net-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix retusa]]''<br/>
''[[Salix rorida]]''<br/>
''[[Salix rosmarinifolia]]'' - [[Rosemary-leaved Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix rupifraga]]''<br/>
''[[Salix salicicola]]''<br/>
''[[Salix schwerinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix scouleriana]]'' - [[Scouler's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix sericea]]'' - [[Sil
ky Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix serissaefolia]]''<br/>
''[[Salix serissima]]'' - [[Autumn Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix shiraii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix sieboldiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix sitchensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix subfragilis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix subopposita]]''<br/>
''[[Salix taraikensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix tetrasperma]]''<br/>
''[[Salix thorelii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix triandra]]'' - [[Almond Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix udensis]]''<br/>
''[[Salix viminalis]]'' - [[Common Osier]]<br/>
''[[Salix vulpina]]''<br/>
''[[Salix waldsteiniana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix wallichiana]]''<br/>
''[[Salix wilmsii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix woodii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix yezoalpina]]''<br/>
''[[Salix yoshinoi]]''<br/>
}}
The '''willows''' are [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s in the genus '''''Salix''''', part of the willow family [[Salicaceae]].
There are about 350 species in this genus worldwide, found primarily on moist [[soil]]s in cooler zones in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are deciduous, often elongate but round to oval in a few species, and with a serrated margin. Willows are [[plant sexuality|dioecious]] with male and female [[flower]]s appearing as [[catkin]]s on different plants; the catkins are produced early in the spring, often before the leaves or as the new leaves open. The [[fruit]] is a small [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] containing numerous tiny (0.1 mm) [[seed]]s embedded in white down, which assists wind dispersal of the seeds. Willows are very cross-fertile and numerous [[hybrid]]s are known, both naturally occurring and in cultivation.
Some smaller species may also be known by the common names ''osier'' and ''sallow''; the latter name is derived from the same root as the [[Latin]] ''salix''.
Some willows, particularly [[arctic]] and [[alpine climate|alpine]] species, are very small; the '''Dwarf Willow''' (''Salix herbacea'') rarely exceeds 6 cm in height, though spreading widely across the ground.
The '''Weeping Willow''', very widely planted as an [[ornamental plant|ornamental tree]], is a [[cultivar]], ''Salix × sepulcralis'' 'Chrysocoma', derived from a hybrid between the [[China|Chinese]] [[Peking Willow]] and the [[Europe]]an [[White Willow]].
Almost all willows take root very readily from cuttings or where broken branches lie on the ground. There are a few exceptions, including the [[Goat Willow]] and [[Peachleaf Willow]]. One famous example of such growth from cuttings involves the poet [[Alexander Pope]], who begged a twig from a parcel tied with twigs sent from Spain to Lady Suffolk. This twig was planted and thrived, and legend has it that all of England's Weeping Willows are descended from this first one [http://www.uab.edu/english/hone/etexts/edb/day-pages/221-aug09.html].
Willows are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Willows]].
A number of willow species were widely planted in Australia in the past, notably as erosion control measures along watercourses. They are now regarded as an invasive [[weed]] and many catchment management authorities are removing them to be replaced with native trees [http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-1C62D26CD3AF6FE44A2568B300051289-8E21A59E53B35BEFCA256BC80005C14F-E1EB709D7DCE1BC9CA256F070003E8D8-FAC3FFA202EA6384CA256BCF000AD522?open].. [http://www.hoadley.net/cremer/willows/docs/WillowInBiodiversity.pdf].
==Uses==
;Medicinal uses
The bark of the willow tree has been mentioned in ancient texts from [[Assyria]], [[Sumer]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] as a remedy for aches and [[fever]], and the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] physician [[Hippocrates]] wrote about its medicinal properties in the [[5th century BC]]. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments.
The active extract of the bark, called [[salicin]], 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
is acidic when in a [[saturation (chemistry)|saturated solution]] in water (''p''H = 2.4), and is called [[salicylic acid]] for that reason.
In 1897 [[Felix Hoffmann]] created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the ''[[Spiraea]]'' plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally ''[[Acetylsalicylic acid]]'', was named [[aspirin]] by Hoffmann's employer [[Bayer|Bayer AG]]. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as [[NSAIDs|non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs]] (NSAIDs).
