Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

General Information Common Name  Grey Willow Scientific Name  Salix cinerea Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  4 - 15 m (15-50 ft) Spread  5 - 10 m (15 - 36 ft) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Flower Color  Yellow Type  Shrub Native  Asia, USA, Europe.

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Dilleniidae Order  Salicales Family  Salicaceae – Willow family Genus  Salix L. – Willow Species  S. cinerea

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea commonly known as Grey Willow also known as Large Grey Willow is native to Europe and Western Asia. It will often colonies boggy ground, but it will also do well in all but the driest soils. Good in exposed and coastal areas. Tolerant of very wet soil with low oxygen levels.

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree. It is growing 4 – 15 (13 – 50 ft) in height. The bark is dark grey with shallow ridges.

The leaves of Grey Willow are spirally arranged. They are more oval than typical willow, but not as broad or as wrinkly as the Goat Willow, are 2.5 – 10 cm (1 – 4 in) long and 1 – 3 cm (0.4 – 2.4 in) board, sometime can be up 16 cm (6 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) board. The color of the leaves are top side green and below hairy silver, with crenate margin.

The flowers of S. cinerea are produced in early spring and the male and female catkins appear on separate trees. The flowers provide valuable early pollen for foraging bees. It is the food plant of several species of butterfly including the Purple Emperor and Camberwell Beauty. The male flowers are the densely silvery-hairy, and 2 – 5 cm (0.8 – 2 in) long flowers well known as Pussy Willow. The male catkins are silvery at first, turning yellow when the pollen is released. The female flowers are greenish-grey and maturing in early summer to release the numerous tiny seeds embedded in white cottony down which assists wind dispersal.

The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge. The bark of this species is used interchangeably with S. alba. It is taken internally in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, gout, inflammatory stages of auto-immune diseases, diarrhea, dysentery, feverish illnesses, neuralgia and headache. The leaves are used internally in the treatment of minor feverish illnesses and colic.

Video about Salix cinerea - Grey Willow

 

 

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Young Plant of Grey Willow

Leaves of Grey Willow

Grey Willow Leaves

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow Leaves

Flowers of Grey Willow

Salix cinerea Flowers

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow Flowers

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Bark of Grey Willow

Salix cinerea Bark

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow

Salix cinerea – Grey Willow