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Salix alba - White willow
Salix alba (white willow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia. The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves.
Description
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, 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.
Uses
- 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.
- The wood is used to make cricket bats. S. alba's wood has a low density and a lower transverse compressive strength.
- Hippocrates,[1] Galen,[2] Pliny the Elder[3] and others knew willow bark could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers.
Common name
- English - White willow
