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Salix alba - L.
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Common Name
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White Willow
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Family
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Salicaceae
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Synonyms
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Known Hazards
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Gastrointestinal bleeding & kidney damage possible. Avoid concurrent administration with other aspirin-like drugs. Avoid during pregnancy. Drug interactions associated with salicylates applicable [301].
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Habitats
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By streams and rivers, marshes, woods and wet fens on richer soils[17].
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Range
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Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, Siberia, Himalayas, Israel.
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Edibility Rating
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Medicinal Rating
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Care
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Physical Characteristics
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Salix alba is a deciduous Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 2 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Apr to May, and the seeds ripen in June. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is not self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Canopy;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Inner bark; Leaves.
Edible Uses: Tea.
Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and added to cereal flour then used in making bread etc[2]. A very bitter flavour, especially when fresh[2, 115], it is used as a famine food when all else fails[172]. Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[2, 177]. Not very palatable[172]. They are used only in times of scarcity[105]. The leaves can be used as a tea substitute[61].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne; Antiinflammatory; Antiperiodic; Antirheumatic; Antiseptic; Astringent; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Febrifuge; Hypnotic; Sedative;
Tonic.
Justly famous as the original source of salicylic acid (the precursor of aspirin), white willow and several closely related species have been used for thousands of years to relieve joint pain and manage fevers[254]. The bark is anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antiperiodic, antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, sedative and tonic[4, 7, 9, 21, 165]. It has been used internally in the treatment of dyspepsia connected with debility of the digestive organs[4], rheumatism, arthritis, gout, inflammatory stages of auto-immune diseases, feverish illnesses, neuralgia and headache[238]. Its tonic and astringent properties render it useful in convalescence from acute diseases, in treating worms, chronic dysentery and diarrhoea[4]. The fresh bark is very bitter and astringent[222]. It contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body[213]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[213]. The bark is harvested in the spring or early autumn from 3 - 6 year old branches and is dried for later use[7, 9]. The leaves are used internally in the treatment of minor feverish illnesses and colic[238]. An infusion of the leaves has a calming effect and is helpful in the treatment of nervous insomnia[7]. When added to the bath water, the infusion is of real benefit in relieving widespread rheumatism[7]. The leaves can be harvested throughout the growing season and are used fresh or dried[238]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Salix / Willow for diseases accompanied by fever, rheumatic ailments, headaches (see [302] for critics of commission E).
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Other Uses
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Basketry; Charcoal; Paper; Pioneer; Shelterbelt; String; Wood.
The young stems are very flexible and are used in basket making[13, 46, 61]. The plant is usually coppiced annually when grown for basket making, though it is possible to coppice it every two years if thick poles are required as uprights. The bark can be used for tying plants[61]. A fibre obtained from the stems is used in making paper[189]. The stems are harvested in spring or summer, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then beaten with mallets or put through a blender. The paper is red/brown in colour[189]. A fast growing tree and tolerant of maritime exposure, it can be grown as a shelterbelt[75]. The plant's rapid growth and wind tolerance make it a very good pioneer species to use in establishing woodland conditions in difficult sites. Spacing cuttings about every 5 metres will soon provide shelter and a suitable environment for planting out woodland trees that are not so wind tolerant. The main disadvantage in using this species is that the roots are far-ranging and the plant is quite greedy, so it will not as much effect as species such as the alders (Alnus species) in enriching the soil and thus feeding the woodland plants[K]. Wood - elastic, soft, easy to split, does not splinter. Used for construction, turnery, poles, tool handles etc[11, 46, 61]. The wood is also used to make charcoal[11], which has medicinal uses[7].
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Cultivation details
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A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils[1], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[200]. Rarely thrives on chalk[200] and dislikes poor thin soils[186]. Very tolerant of maritime exposure and atmospheric pollution[75, 186]. Trees respond well to coppicing or pollarding[186]. Best planted into its permanent position as soon as possible, trees respond badly to transplanting unless they are moved regularly. The root system is rather aggressive and can cause problems with drains[200]. A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterflies[30] and a good bee plant, providing an early source of nectar and pollen[11]. A very good wildlife habitat, more than 200 species of insects are associated with this tree[24]. There are many sub-species and cultivars in this species[182]. S. alba caerulea is the cricket bat willow, cultivated for its wood[11, 131]. S. alba vitellina. (L.)Stokes. has been cultivated for its very tough stems that are used as tie rods in basket making[123, 131]. The cultivar 'Cardinal' is also grown for its use in basket making[131]. This species is used commercially in papermaking[189]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus, especially S. fragilis, to which it is closely related[11]. Trees cast a relatively light shade. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
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Propagation
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Seed - must be surface sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring. It has a very short viability, perhaps as little as a few days. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, November to February in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted straight into their permanent position and given a good weed-suppressing mulch. Branches of older wood as long as 2.5 metres can be used[1]. Very easy. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, June to August in a frame. Very easy.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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1117200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
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A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
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[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
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Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
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[30]Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe.
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An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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[75]Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. Shelter Trees and Hedges.
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A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.
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[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
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The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
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[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
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Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
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[123]? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.
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It contains a few things of interest to the plant project.
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[131]Warren-Wren. S. C. Willows.
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A readable guide to the willows.
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[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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An excellent small herbal.
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[172]Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
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A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
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[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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[182]Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos.
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Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
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[186]Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs.
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An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.
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[189]Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking.
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A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[213]Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food.
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A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
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[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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[302]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Commission E
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_E
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