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Salix alba

Common names: White willow 

Irish name: saileach bain 

Latin name: Salix alba 

Family: Salicaceae 

Origin: Native status in Ireland is uncertain. Native to Europe and Central Asia 

Tree type: Deciduous broadleaf tree

How it Looks

Shape, bark, twigs 

The white willow is the largest willow species found in Ireland. Many trees develop a large, distinct trunk and can grow up to 30m tall. They have an oval crown that becomes broader with age as their branches begin to hang down loosely. The bark is grey-brown and develops deep fissures as it gets older. The twigs are slender, grey-brown and very flexible. They are hairy when young and smooth and shiny in their second year.  

Buds 

The buds are between 5 and 8 mm long and pressed close to the twig. They are hairy, pointed, narrow and green to yellow brown in colour. 

Leaves 

The leaves are long and slender, 5-10 cm long and 0.5-1.5cm wide, with serrated margins. Young leaves have a felty covering of fine hairs, making them appear silvery white. With age, the tops of the leaves become dull green and slightly shiny with sparse hair, while the undersides remain hairy and greyish. The leaf stem is usually less than 1cm long and hairy. 

Flowers 

White willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Catkins appear at the same time as the leaves in late April or early May.  Male catkins are 4 to 5 cm long, about 0.8 cm wide and are densely flowered. Each flower has two stamens with yellow anthers. Female catkins are shorter and narrower than the males, at around 3 to 4 cm long and 0.4 cm wide. The ovaries are narrowly flask-shaped, about 3-4 mm long and 1 mm wide. The flowers are predominantly insect-pollinated, but wind-pollination also occurs. 

Fruits 

After pollination, the female catkins lengthen and develop seeds in small capsules. Once ripe, the capsules split open to release tiny seeds in woolly tufts, which the wind disperses across long distances. 

Similar species 

Willows, in general, are challenging to identify as their appearance can vary from tree to tree, and they commonly hybridise. This can cause uncertainty even amongst experienced botanists. The species which most closely resembles white willow is crack willow. Crack willow also hybridises with white willow. The key difference is that the white willow leaves are shorter than those of the crack willow. Furthermore, crack willow does not have a covering of fine, silky white hairs on the underside. 

 

Where to Find it

The white willow is widespread in Europe, extending eastwards to Central Asia. It has been widely planted, and working out its natural distribution isn't easy. Therefore, it is uncertain if this species is native to Ireland and Great Britain. In Ireland, it is commonly found along rivers and streams in lowland areas of eastern Ireland. As you move west, it becomes less common.  

Like most willows, the white willow grows on wet ground, such as river and stream sides. It prefers temperate climates with abundant light, sandy and calcareous soils but also tolerates other soil types. The tree occurs at altitudes up to 2400 m.  

Cultural Importance

History | Myth, Legend and Folklore | Arts and Literature 

History 

Burnt material unearthed at Mesolithic (c. 8000-4000 BC) and Neolithic (c. 4000-2500 BC) period archaeological sites in Co. Tyrone in 2006-2007, demonstrates that early communities on the Island of Ireland were burning willow for various reasons as far back as 8400 years ago. Additional evidence from archaeological sites in the Irish midlands and Wicklow, indicate that willow continued to be used for fuel for different purposes, such as cooking and industry, from the Neolithic through to the Medieval period (c. 400-1600 AD).  

Willow was also used to make a type of rope or binding in antiquity. Hammer stones excavated at the Bronze Age (c. 2500-800 BC) mining site at Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork were found bound to a wooden handle with willow withies or rods. In the ancient Irish texts from the early Medieval period, there are also numerous references to the use of willow withies for tying up livestock.   

Along with other wood species, willow was used in Ireland during the Bronze Age and Iron Age (c. 800 BC – 400 AD) in the construction of wooden trackways that allowed people to traverse bogs and access their resources. Similarly, finds from archaeological excavations at Islandbridge in Dublin show that willow was used to make post and wattle fences during the late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age period. This type of wickerwork was also used in the construction of houses, scallops for thatching and other domestic items; practices which continued into later periods. It is likely that Willow, amongst other trees, was carefully managed and coppiced specifically for these everyday needs, especially from the Medieval period onwards.  

Willow was also valuable for making objects. For instance, an Iron Age mallet made of willow was found deposited within a bog trackway during archaeological excavation at Edercloon, Co. Longford. It is possible that the mallet had originally been used to construct the trackway. In addition, Methers – Irish medieval ceremonial drinking vessels on which the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) MacCarthy Cup is styled – were sometimes carved from willow. As were harps – the 14th century Brian Boru Harp, now housed in Trinity College Dublin, is made from willow. 

Medicinally, different parts of the willow were traditionally used to relieve pain associated with a headache or toothache and general aches and pains. In medieval times, the bark was chewed to release the salicin. Additionally, the bark was boiled in water to create a medicinal syrup that was taken to relieve digestive complaints, reduce joint inflammation, and act as a gargle for sore throats. 

In view of its usefulness in so many areas of life, it is unsurprising that in early medieval Ireland willow was deemed valuable. As a result, it featured in the early Irish tree lists as one of the ‘Commoners of the Wood’. If a person unlawfully damaged or felled one of these trees, they would have to pay a hefty fine in compensation amounting to as much as two milch cows and a three-year-old heifer. The willow was of such significance during this period that it was used to represent the character for the letter ‘S’ in the early Irish Ogham alphabet, taking the following form: 

Furthermore, it was so widespread throughout the country that willow features in many Irish placenames. Examples include Clonsilla or Cluain Saileach in Co. Dublin which translates as meadow of the willow’ and Parknasilla or Páirc na Saileach in Co. Kerry, which means ‘the field of the willows’ Co. Kerry. 

Willow has been similarly valued by different cultures across the world for various purposes, including for its medicinal uses and in the construction of different types of wickerwork. As in Ireland, Willow bark has also been used medicinally throughout the world for thousands of years to treat various ailments. For example, the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Greeks used it to treat pain, inflammation and fever.  

Myth, Legend and Folklore 

Willow is traditionally associated with themes of life, fertility, good luck and protection, and often connected with water and milk. In Irish folklore, it was seen as good luck to take a rod of willow, or as it was better known, a ‘sally rod’, with oneself on a journey. Likewise, wrapping a sally rod around a milk churn was believed to guarantee good butter or encourage the butter to form. Additionally, it was believed that willow charcoal could cause hair to regrow on an animal where it had previously gone bald. On account of its flexible nature, there was also the belief that hanging willow over one’s door would cause the inhabitants of the house to dance uncontrollably. 

In Scotland, willow rods were used as ‘Bride’s Wands’ at the time of the Bride’s Eve festival in February. In different parts of England, hanging willow over one’s door was thought variously to bring good luck to the house, and to protect against witches. 

Willow also features in the Irish myths. For example one story tells of how the King of Leinster, Labhraidh Loingseach’s ears were long like those of a horse, a fact that he kept hidden except from his barber who was sworn to secrecy. Developing an illness as a result of holding in this secret, the young barber whispered the secret to a local willow tree in order to get it off his chest. However, the tree is later cut down to make a harp that is played in the royal court, whereupon the harp sings only the words ‘Labhraidh Loingseach has horse’s ears!’, thus spreading the secret throughout the kingdom. 

Willow has multiple associations with milk and water in folklore and legend. Similarly, it is associated with the river Goddess Bóinn who was described in the myths as a great cow whose milk flowed in the river that we know today as the River Boyne. 

Arts and Literature 

The willow features frequently in literature. In early Irish poetry, the poet Suibhne Geilt refers to the tree as the ‘bright cheerful sallow’. It also features in a Medieval Irish Bardic poem in which Iubhdán, King of the Leprechauns, refer to it as a noble tree. The willow often crops up in later works such as the plays of William Shakespeare. More recently, it is cast in a negative light in the Harry Potter books in the form of the malevolent ‘Whomping Willow’. 

Perhaps one of the most famous homages to the willow in the arts is the William Morris pattern ‘Willow Boughs’, which he designed in 1887 and continues to adorn wallpaper and fabrics all over the world. 

Willow also features in songs, such as the Medieval folk song and carol, the ‘Bitter Withy’.

Value to Wildlife

As this tree prefers to grow in wet areas, its roots are great for stabilising wet banks and waterside habits. It flowers early in spring, providing an important source of pollen and nectar for early-emerging pollinators, and the branches make good nesting and roosting sites for birds. Caterpillars of several moth species, including the puss moth, eyed hawkmoth, and red underwing, feed on white willow leaves.  

Threats

Like other willows, white willows are susceptible to watermark disease caused by the bacteria Brenneria salicis. Although this bacterium has not yet been recorded in Ireland, it has reached parts of the UK and has the potential to make its way over. The bacteria cause branches to die back and red leaves to develop in other parts of the crown, eventually killing the tree if left untreated. 

Uses

Willows have been valuable to humans for their medicinal purposes. The painkiller aspirin is derived from salicin, a compound found in the bark of all Salix species. White willow’s light wood has been used for smaller items such as kitchen utensils, baskets, and carvings. The tree has been planted near waterways and in wet areas to reduce soil erosion and stabilise slopes. Like all willows, it can be coppiced and used for biomass production. It is a popular ornamental tree widely planted in wet landscapes. 

References

 

 

Irish Tree Explorers Network

Líonra Taiscéalaí Crainn na hÉireann

  • Dr Eoin Lettice, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Plant Science - E.Lettice@ucc.ie
  • Dr Barbara Doyle Prestwich, Head of Plant Science & Vice Head of School Senior Lecturer/Assoc.Prof. - b.doyle@ucc.ie
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