Scouler's Willow
Salix scouleriana
Family: Salicaceae
What it is like
Salix scouleriana is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft 10in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in 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 and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Found on both moist lowland and dry upland areas, growing in a range of habitats from upland bogs and riversides to meadows, roadsides and cleared areas in forests, from sea level to 3000 metres.
Western N. America - Alaska to California and New Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
A poultice of the inner cambium has been used in the treatment of serious cuts. A poultice of the damp inner bark has been applied to the skin over a broken bone. The shredded inner bark has been used as sanitary napkins to 'heal a woman's insides'. A poultice of the bark and sap has been used in the treatment of bleeding wounds. A decoction of the roots has been used in the treatment of dysentery. A decoction of the branches has been taken by women for several months after giving birth in order to increase the blood flow. 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.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Haemostatic: Controls internal bleeding.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Women's complaints: A very vague title, it deals with a miscellany of problems peculiar to the female sex.
Other
Rating: 0
Succeeds in wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils. The stems are very flexible and are used in basket making. They have also been used to sew the bark on canoes and make hoops. 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 roots have been used to make baskets. The bark can be twisted into cord and used for making bags and clothes. The branches and the bark can be twisted into a strong rope. The bark has been used for sowing birch bark onto basket frames. Wood - light, soft, close-grained. It has no commercial value, but it is used locally for fuel, charcoal and tool handles. Dynamic accumulator.
Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.
Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.
String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.
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 tree in its early years, this species is one of the few willows to naturally develop a single trunk. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. 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 Canopy;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 5-9
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
Salix brachystachys. Salix capreoides. Salix flavescens