Beak Willow, Bebb Willow
Salix bebbiana

Family: Salicaceae

What it is like

Salix bebbiana is a deciduous Shrub growing to 7 m (23ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in June. The species is 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 is pollinated by Bees. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 7

Where it is found

Moist rich soils along streams, lakes and swamps, but also forming dense thickets in open meadows. Found at elevations up to 3000 metres.

N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska, south to California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

A poultice of the chewed root inner bark has been applied to a deep cut. The shredded inner bark has been used as sanitary napkins to 'heal a woman's insides'. A poultice of the damp inner bark has been applied to the skin over a broken bone. A decoction of the branches has been taken by women for several months after childbirth to increase the blood flow. A poultice of the bark and sap has been applied as a wad to bleeding wounds. 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.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 4

A pioneer species, readily invading any cleared-out area if there is sufficient moisture. It is short-lived and not very shade tolerant and so, having provided good conditions for other woodland trees to become established, it is eventually out-competed by them. The pliable stems are used in basket making. 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 has been twisted into cord and made into strong rope, bags and dresses. The bark has been used for sewing birch bark onto basket frames. The wood often has diamond-shaped depressions on the bark caused by a fungus. This wood is considered to be very ornamental and is carved into canes, lamp posts and furniture. The wood has also been used to make baseball bats and to make charcoal. Dynamic accumulator.

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

How it is grown

Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils, but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position. Rarely thrives on chalk. A fast-growing but short-lived species. This species is closely related to S. starkeana, differing mainly in its more vigorous habit. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagating it: 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. Very easy. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, June to August in a frame. Very easy.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 3-7

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

S. rostrata. non Thuill. S. livida rostrata. (Richards.)Dipp. S. depressa rostrata. (Richards.)Hiito