Salix alba, the 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.
Salix alba
White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves
It is a medium-sized to large deciduoustree 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, and 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, in particular 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 midsummer, 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]
Tree showing whitish foliage compared to surrounding trees
Like all willows, Salix alba is usually to be found in wet or poorly-drained soil at the edge of pools, lakes or rivers. Its wide-spreading roots take up moisture from a large surrounding area.[4]
White willows are fast-growing, but relatively short-lived, being susceptible to several diseases, including watermark disease caused by the bacteriumBrenneria salicis (named because of the characteristic 'watermark' staining in the wood; syn. Erwinia salicis) and willow anthracnose, caused by the fungusMarssonina salicicola. These diseases can be a serious problem on trees grown for timber or ornament.
It readily forms natural hybrids with crack willow Salix fragilis, the hybrid being named Salix × rubens Schrank.[1]
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 one to two years before turning brown. It is particularly decorative in winter; the best effect is achieved by coppicing it every two to three 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 '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 x sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma'. It is, however, still the best choice in very cold parts of the world, such as Canada, the northern US, and Russia.
The golden hybrid weeping willow (Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma') is a hybrid between white willow and Peking willow Salix babylonica.
The wood is tough, strong, and light in weight, but has minimal resistance to decay. The stems (withies) from coppiced and pollarded plants are used for basket-making. Charcoal made from the wood was important for gunpowder manufacture. The bark tannin was used in the past for tanning leather.[1][2] The wood is used to make cricket bats. S. alba wood has a low density and a lower transverse compressive strength. This allows the wood to bend, which is why it can be used to make baskets. Willow bark contains indole-3-butyric acid, which is a plant hormone stimulating root growth; willow trimmings are sometimes used to clone rootstock in place of commercially synthesized root stimulator.[11] It is also used for ritual purposes by Jews on the holiday of Sukkot.[12]
Medicinal uses
Salix alba tincture
Willow (of unspecified species) has long been used by herbalists for various ailments, although it is a myth that they attribute to it any analgesic effect.[13] One of the first references to White Willow specifically was by Edward Stone, of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, in 1763. He 'accidentally' tasted the bark and found it had a bitter taste, which reminded him of Peruvian Bark (Cinchona), which was used to treat malaria. After researching all the 'dispensaries and books on botany,' he found no suggestion of willow ever being used to treat fevers, and decided to experiment with it himself. Over the next seven years he successfully used the dried powder of willow bark to cure 'agues and intermittent fevers' of around fifty people, although it worked better when combined with quinine.[14]
Stone appears to have been largely ignored by the medical profession and herbalists alike. There are reports of two pharmacists trialling this remedy, but no evidence that it worked.[15] By the early 20th century, Maud Grieve, one of the most famous herbalists of the era, did not consider White Willow to be a febrifuge. Instead, she describes using the bark and the powdered root for its tonic, antiperiodic and astringent qualities and recommended its use in treating dyspepsia, worms, chronic diarrhoea and dysentery.[16] She considered tannin to be the active constituent.
An active extract of the bark, called salicin, after the Latin name Salix, 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. Salicylic acid is a chemical derivative of salicin, and is widely used in medicine. Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) is, however, a chemical that does not occur in nature and which was originally synthesised from salicylic acid[17] extracted from Meadowsweet, and is not connected to willow except in the similarity of its name.[18]
References
^ abcdefMeikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN0-901158-07-0.
^Martyr, Phillippa. "Hippocrates and willow bark? What you know about the history of aspirin is probably wrong". Retrieved 5 January 2022.
^Stone, Edward. "An Account of the Success of the Bark of the Willow in the Cure of Agues". The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rstl.1763.0033. Retrieved 5 January 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Jeffreys, Diarmuid (2004). Aspirin: the story of a wonder drug. London: Bloomsbury.
^Fürstenwerth, Hauke (2011). "Letter by Fürstenwerth Regarding Article, "Aspirin: A Historical and Contemporary Therapeutic Overview"". Circulation. 124 (12). doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.038133. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^Propatier, Stephen. "The Mythology of Aspirin". Retrieved 12 January 2022.
Further reading
Morader, H. L.; Prego, I. A.; Facciuto, G. R.; Maldonado, S. B. (November 2000). "Storage Behavior of Salix alba and Salix matsudana Seeds". Annals of Botany. 86 (5): 1017–1021. doi:10.1006/anbo.2000.1265. JSTOR 42770865.
van Casteren, A.; Sellers, W. I.; Thorpe, S. K. S. (23 November 2011). "Why don't branches snap? The mechanics of bending failure in three temperate angiosperm trees". Trees. 26 (3): 789–797. doi:10.1007/s00468-011-0650-y. S2CID 17867624.
Vennetier, Michel (February 2015). "Tree root architecture: new insights from a comprehensive study on dikes" (PDF). Plant and Soil. 387 (1–2): 81–101. doi:10.1007/s11104-014-2272-9. S2CID 15729821.
salix, alba, white, willow, redirects, here, norwegian, band, white, willow, band, golden, willow, redirects, here, horse, golden, willow, horse, white, willow, species, willow, native, europe, western, central, asia, name, derives, from, white, tone, undersid. White Willow redirects here For the Norwegian band see White Willow band Golden Willow redirects here For the horse see Golden Willow horse Salix alba the 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 Salix albaWhite Willow foliage note white undersides of leavesScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder MalpighialesFamily SalicaceaeGenus SalixSpecies S albaBinomial nameSalix albaL Distribution mapIt 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 and 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 in particular 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 midsummer 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 Contents 1 Ecology 2 Varieties cultivars and hybrids 2 1 Award of Garden Merit 3 Uses 3 1 Medicinal uses 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksEcology Edit Tree showing whitish foliage compared to surrounding trees Like all willows Salix alba is usually to be found in wet or poorly drained soil at the edge of pools lakes or rivers Its wide spreading roots take up moisture from a large surrounding area 4 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 It readily forms natural hybrids with crack willow Salix fragilis the hybrid being named Salix rubens Schrank 1 Varieties cultivars and hybrids EditA 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 one to two years before turning brown It is particularly decorative in winter the best effect is achieved by coppicing it every two to three 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 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 x sepulcralis Chrysocoma It is however still the best choice in very cold parts of the world such as Canada the northern US and Russia The golden hybrid weeping willow Salix sepulcralis Chrysocoma is a hybrid between white willow and Peking willow Salix babylonica Award of Garden Merit Edit The following have received the Royal Horticultural Society s Award of Garden Merit 5 Salix alba Golden Ness 6 Salix alba var serica silver willow 7 Salix alba var vitellina Yelverton 8 Salix sepulcralis Erythroflexuosa 9 Salix sepulcralis var chrysocoma 10 Uses EditThe wood is tough strong and light in weight but has minimal resistance to decay The stems withies from coppiced and pollarded plants are used for basket making Charcoal made from the wood was important for gunpowder manufacture The bark tannin was used in the past for tanning leather 1 2 The wood is used to make cricket bats S alba wood has a low density and a lower transverse compressive strength This allows the wood to bend which is why it can be used to make baskets Willow bark contains indole 3 butyric acid which is a plant hormone stimulating root growth willow trimmings are sometimes used to clone rootstock in place of commercially synthesized root stimulator 11 It is also used for ritual purposes by Jews on the holiday of Sukkot 12 Medicinal uses Edit Salix alba tincture Willow of unspecified species has long been used by herbalists for various ailments although it is a myth that they attribute to it any analgesic effect 13 One of the first references to White Willow specifically was by Edward Stone of Chipping Norton Oxfordshire England in 1763 He accidentally tasted the bark and found it had a bitter taste which reminded him of Peruvian Bark Cinchona which was used to treat malaria After researching all the dispensaries and books on botany he found no suggestion of willow ever being used to treat fevers and decided to experiment with it himself Over the next seven years he successfully used the dried powder of willow bark to cure agues and intermittent fevers of around fifty people although it worked better when combined with quinine 14 Stone appears to have been largely ignored by the medical profession and herbalists alike There are reports of two pharmacists trialling this remedy but no evidence that it worked 15 By the early 20th century Maud Grieve one of the most famous herbalists of the era did not consider White Willow to be a febrifuge Instead she describes using the bark and the powdered root for its tonic antiperiodic and astringent qualities and recommended its use in treating dyspepsia worms chronic diarrhoea and dysentery 16 She considered tannin to be the active constituent An active extract of the bark called salicin after the Latin name Salix 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 Salicylic acid is a chemical derivative of salicin and is widely used in medicine Acetylsalicylic acid Aspirin is however a chemical that does not occur in nature and which was originally synthesised from salicylic acid 17 extracted from Meadowsweet and is not connected to willow except in the similarity of its name 18 References Edit a b c d e f Meikle R D 1984 Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland BSBI Handbook No 4 ISBN 0 901158 07 0 a b c d Rushforth K 1999 Trees of Britain and Europe Collins ISBN 0 00 220013 9 Mitchell A F 1974 A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe Collins ISBN 0 00 212035 6 Salix alba RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 AGM Plants Ornamental PDF Royal Horticultural Society July 2017 p 85 Retrieved 11 October 2018 Salix alba Golden Ness RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 Salix albavar serica RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 Salix alba var vitellina Yelverton RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 Salix sepulcralis Erythroflexuosa RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 Salix sepulcralisvar chrysocoma RHS Retrieved 17 February 2021 How to Make a Rooting Tonic Retrieved 23 Aug 2015 Shulchan Aruch Harav Ch 647 Kehot Publication Society p 332 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Martyr Phillippa Hippocrates and willow bark What you know about the history of aspirin is probably wrong Retrieved 5 January 2022 Stone Edward An Account of the Success of the Bark of the Willow in the Cure of Agues The Royal Society doi 10 1098 rstl 1763 0033 Retrieved 5 January 2022 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Jeffreys Diarmuid 2004 Aspirin the story of a wonder drug London Bloomsbury Grieve Maud 1931 A Modern Herbal ISBN 9780880299213 Furstenwerth Hauke 2011 Letter by Furstenwerth Regarding Article Aspirin A Historical and Contemporary Therapeutic Overview Circulation 124 12 doi 10 1161 CIRCULATIONAHA 111 038133 Retrieved 31 January 2022 Propatier Stephen The Mythology of Aspirin Retrieved 12 January 2022 Further reading EditMorader H L Prego I A Facciuto G R Maldonado S B November 2000 Storage Behavior of Salix alba and Salix matsudana Seeds Annals of Botany 86 5 1017 1021 doi 10 1006 anbo 2000 1265 JSTOR 42770865 van Casteren A Sellers W I Thorpe S K S 23 November 2011 Why don t branches snap The mechanics of bending failure in three temperate angiosperm trees Trees 26 3 789 797 doi 10 1007 s00468 011 0650 y S2CID 17867624 Vennetier Michel February 2015 Tree root architecture new insights from a comprehensive study on dikes PDF Plant and Soil 387 1 2 81 101 doi 10 1007 s11104 014 2272 9 S2CID 15729821 External links Edit Media related to Salix alba at Wikimedia Commons Salix alba information genetic conservation units and related resources European Forest Genetic Resources Programme EUFORGEN Salix alba in the CalPhotos photo database University of California Berkeley Salix alba Calflora Berkeley California The Calflora Database Salix alba Plants for a Future Salix alba caerulea Plants for a Future Salix alba vitellina Plants for a Future Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Salix alba amp oldid 1111876110, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
