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  6. Salix aurita

Salix aurita

Common names: Eared willow, eared sallow 

Irish name: Crann sníofa 

Latin name: Salix aurita 

Family: Salicaceae 

Origin: Native 

Tree type: Deciduous broadleaf Shrub

How it Looks

Shape, bark, twigs 

Once mature, eared willow is typically rounded and bushy in shape, growing to 3m tall. The bark is grey and smooth, with much older specimens showing cracks in the bark that run down the stems. The young, delicate shoots of eared willow are a dark reddish-brown colour and stand out in the winter. The branches of eared willow are sometimes described as messy as they grow in different directions.  

Buds  

The buds have a single protective scale, which is yellow-brown and darker at their tips. They are small and can be either hairy or hairless.  

Leaves  

New leaves appear in April to early May. They alternate along the twig and are matt green, with woolly undersides, serrated edges, and characteristically wrinkled appearance. The small obovate leaves (egg-shaped with the narrower end at the base) grow between 2.5–6 cm in length and 3-4cm in width. They have 7-9 pairs of veins that are sunken on the upper side and elevated on the underside. The most distinctive feature of eared willow is their ‘ears’ located at the base of each leaf. These pair of 'stipules' resemble small leaves that are in the shape of mouse ears. The leaves turn yellow in October before being shed for the winter. 

Flowers  

Eared willow is dioecious, meaning that individual trees are either male or female. Catkins bloom in early spring before the leaves emerge. Male catkins are about 1.5 cm long and, when opened, reveal numerous white stamens tipped with yellow pollen. The female flowers are more upright and develop thick pale green carpels (female reproductive parts), which insects pollinate. 

Fruits  

Once pollinated, the female catkins turn brown and start to develop seeds.  When ripe in May or June, they burst, releasing tiny seeds with white cottony tufts into the wind. As the seeds are so light, they can be transported long distances by the wind. Like a lot of willow species, the eared willow can propagate itself by lowering its branches to the ground and developing roots. 

Similar species  

Hybrids between willow species are common. Eared willow may hybridise with tea-leaved willow (Salix Phylicifolia) and grey willow (Salix cinerea), making identification of the species difficult at times. 

Where to Find it

Eared willow is native to much of Europe, from Scandinavia to Spain and from Ireland to Russia. It has also been introduced to the state of Pennsylvania in the USA. 

It is commonly found in heaths, moorlands, wet woods, and damp scrubby meadows, preferring mildly acidic to neutral soils in open areas. Although it's often seen on the lower slopes of most Irish mountains, it has not been observed at altitudes above 800 meters. The eared willow is a pioneer species, which means that it can easily colonise open ground and is often the first woody species to establish itself in wetter areas.  

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, baskets, 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 continued to be used in Ireland for basketry and thatching right into the 20th century. 

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, such as basketry and matting. Willow baskets have been unearthed during archaeological excavations at, for instance, Mesolithic (c. 7500 BC) sites in the Iberian Peninsula and Roman sites in the UK (c. AD 43 to AD 410). 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

Although small, eared willow is important to wet habitats, and a range of organisms are associated with it. Underground, eared willows form relationships with fungi, where the roots of the fungi surround the plant’s roots, and a mutually beneficial exchange of nutrients takes place.  

Thanks to its shrubby habit, many birds nest in eared willow foliage. It also has a huge range of insects feeding on it. The caterpillars of several moths feed on the leaves, including the ruddy highflyer and a tortrix moth. The stems and branches also provide habitat for many different types of mosses and lichens. 

Threats

Like other willows, eared willow is 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 causes 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. They are popular for fencing, hedging and traditional crafts such as basket making. They are also valuable for ecological restoration in that they stabilise riverbanks and prevent soil erosion, protect against flooding and rehabilitate contaminated land by processing contaminants such as heavy metals.   

Eared willow has extensive root systems and is planted to stabilise waste tips and old slag heaps. Its branches, which grow in all different directions, create thick hedges.  

References

 

Irish Tree Explorers Network

Líonra Taiscéalaí Crainn na hÉireann

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