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.
Salix caroliniana, commonly known as Coastal Plain Willow is native to the southeastern USA, Mexico, Caribbean Islands and the parts of Central America.
It is a shrub or small tree. It’s generally grows in wet areas and along ponds and lakes edges. Typically it grows 5 – 9 m (16 – 30 f) in height, in Florida occasionally it can be grow higher. Often as broad as tall or broader. The shape of the tree is irregular crown. The trunk is short, and often leaning. The bark color is gray, roughened with ridges and furrows. The smooth bark is not particularly outstanding. It is described by Argus as "having branches dark to light brown, glabrous or sparsely pubescent (coated with soft hairs); branchlets reddish brown to yellowish brown, brittle at branch base, with bud scale margins free and overlapping.
S. caroliniana is a deciduous tree. The leaves are temperate, light green in color. These are long and narrow, about 20 cm (8 in) long and 2 - 5 cm (1 - 2 in) broad. There have little grooves both edges of the leaves.
The flowers of Coastal Plain Willow are White in color are appeared in the early spring, either before or together with the emergence of leaves. The spear shaped capsule are green in color. When it becomes mature and buster numbers of seeds comes out. Every seeds contain white cotton to wind dispersed seeds
Salix chaenomeloidescommonly known as Giant Pussy Willow also
known as Japanese Pussy Willow. It is native to Japan, Korea and China. This is a
deciduous, ornamental willow that grown for its large dusky-pink or white
catkins. It is easy to see how these catkins raise the bar for flower
arrangements. It blooms in spring. It is a large shrub that grown 4-10 m (13-33
ft) in height; light brown new growth; attractive large oblong leaves which
start reddish and become yellow-green when larger; vigorous growth habit, with
long spreading branches, becoming as wide as it is tall. S. chaenomeloides,
biggest show is the bright red-mahogany covering that protects the pussies
before they emerge. These bud-scales'
combination of size and color is unique in willows, and make the shrub one of
the joys of Fall and Winter. Naturally it’s grows near the banks of the rivers.
These plants are some of the earliest pollen and nectar sources for our
pollinating insects and help them regain their strength after the long winter
months. Pussy Willows are easily managed shrubs for border areas in the garden
landscape. Once flowering is complete, plants can be pruned to the desired size
and shape without disrupting the next season's bloom.
Salix chaenomeloides - Giant Pussy Willow Leaves
Giant Pussy Willow Leaves in Fall
Salix chaenomeloides - Giant Pussy Willow Catkins
Giant Pussy Willow Flowers
Salix chaenomeloides - Giant Pussy Willow Flowers
Salix chaenomeloides - Giant Pussy Willow Full Bloom
