Hybrid willows
Salix hybrids

Family: Salicaceae

What it is like

Salix hybrids is a deciduous Shrub growing to 25 m (82ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Found along streambanks and in wetlands. Willows survive in warm and cold weather zones, although most thrive in moist climates.

Origin: N. Temperate, Africa, S. America. A wide natural distribution from the tropics to the arctic zones and are extensively cultivated around the world.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

See individual species. In some species the inner bark and leaves are edible.

Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Some. See individual species. Willow bark was the basis for aspirin development. Many cultures have used willow bark for pain relief, thanks to a compound in willow bark called salicin.

Other

Rating: 5

Wastewater treatment - converting wastewater to biomass fuel by taking up excess nutrients in warer for fertilizer. A strong, light flexible wood used for basketry, fencing and natural building. Erosion control and bank stabilization akong streams and rivers. Carbon Farming Solutions - Industrial Crop: biomass (Crops grown for non-food uses. Industrial crops provide resources in three main categories: materials, chemicals, and energy. Traditional materials include lumber and thatch, paper and cardboard, and textiles). Fodder: bank. The leaves are a good fodder for livestock. Other Systems: SRC. Dynamic accumulator.

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

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Filter: Used to strain out particles from liquids.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Weaving: Items such as grass and palm leaves that are woven together for making mats, baskets etc. See also Basket making and Fibre.

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

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Other Systems: SRC: Short-rotation coppice.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Other Systems: SRC: Short-rotation coppice.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

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.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Climate:, tropical highlands. Humidity: semi-arid to humid, aquatic. There are tree, shrub, and ground cover willows. Usually coppiced or pollarded when managing. Some coppiced willows have lived to 800 years. Easy to breed and hybridize. Willows are very cross-compatible, and numerous hybrids occur, both naturally and in cultivation. A well-known ornamental example is the weeping willow (Salix × sepulcralis), which is a hybrid of Peking willow (Salix babylonica) from China and white willow (Salix alba) from Europe. Breeding work has increased biomass yields 50% in the last few decades. European breeding emphasises Salix viminalis and four or five others while North America is based on Salix purpurea and others. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: coppice (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 2-11

Growth: Fast

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

See individual species.

Its other names

Local names

Willows, Sallows, Osiers, Willow Hybrids, Salix Hybrids

Synonyms

See individual species.