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Plants

Salix gracilistyla

Rosegold Pussy Willow

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Salix genus in the family Salicaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Salix
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
3 m
Spread
4 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Bees
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[4]. Young leaves and flowers - parboiled and eaten as a vegetable[2][5][6][7]. Not very palatable[4]. The leaves are a tea substitute[2][7].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin[10], which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body[9]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[10].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The stems are used in basket making[11]. Planted along the sides of streams to prevent erosion from the bank[11].

Product or use
Basketry

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat
Banks of mountain streams[12][11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils[1][3], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[8]. Rarely thrives on chalk[8]. A very ornamental plant[1]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[8]. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind[3]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[8]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  9. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  10. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  11. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

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