Goat Willow, Kilmarnock Willow, Pink Pussy Willow, Pussy Willow
Salix caprea
Family: Salicaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Rounded.
Salix caprea is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from March to April, and the seeds ripen in May. 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, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Woods, scrub and hedges, usually on basic soils, to 840 metres.
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, temperate Asia and Syria.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then added to cereal flour for use in making bread etc. A very bitter flavour, it is a famine food that is only used when all else fails. Young shoots - raw or cooked. They are not very palatable. The source of an edible manna. No further details.
Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.
Manna: this is a sweet substance that exudes naturally from certain plants, usually from the stems.
Medicine
Rating: 2
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. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers. A distilled water from the flowers is aphrodisiac, cordial and stimulant. It is used externally in the treatment of headaches and ophthalmia. The ashes of the wood are useful in the treatment of haemoptysis. The stems and the leaves are astringent. A gum and the juice of the trees are used to increase visual powers.
Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.
Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Other
Rating: 4
Landscape Uses: Border, Massing, Pollard, Standard, Specimen. The stems are very flexible and 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 is tough and flexible, it is used as a substitute for leather. The bark contains around 10% tannin. The plant is fast growing and tolerant of maritime exposure, it can be used as a windbreak hedge and shelterbelt though it is of untidy habit. The seeds are very light and so can travel some distance in the wind. The plant is therefore able to find its way to areas such as cleared woodland where the soil has been disturbed. Seedlings will grow away quickly, even in exposed conditions and the plant will provide good shelter for the establishment of woodland plants. Thus it makes a good pioneer species and, except in wetter and moorland-type soils, will eventually be largely out-competed by the other woodland trees. Its main disadvantage as a pioneer plant is that it has an extensive root system and is quite a greedy plant, thus it will not help as much in enriching the soil for the other woodland plants as other pioneer species such as the alders, Alnus species. Some cultivars can be grown as ground cover. 'Pendula' is female whilst 'Kilmarnock' is a male, they should be spaced about 1.5 metres apart each way. Wood - soft, elastic, easily split. Used for baskets, rugs etc. A good quality charcoal is made from the wood. 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.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Leather: Substitutes, that is.
Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.
Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Hedge: Hedge
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. Grows in drier soils than any other British species of Salix. Rarely thrives on chalk. Plants are found most frequently on basic soils in the wild. Tolerates atmospheric pollution and exposed positions, including maritime exposure. A fast growing tree, it establishes well. The tree has an untidy habit. A light demanding tree, it becomes tall and drawn when grown in woodland, though it grows well along the sunnier edges. 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. Trees are very tolerant of cutting, they coppice well. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Special Features:Not North American native, Wetlands plant, Attractive flowers or blooms.
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. Cuttings of this species do not root well. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, June to August in a frame. Cuttings of this species do not root well.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Canopy; Secondary; Ground Cover; Hedge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 4-9
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist, wet