Practical
Plants

Salix viminalis

Osier

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
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
6 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[5]. Young shoots - cooked. Not very palatable[5].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves

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.

Antirheumatic, febrifuge[3]. 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[8]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[10].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

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

The stems are very flexible and are used in basket making[2][11][13]. 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 annual yield can be around 12 tonnes per hectare, 40% of which is class 1[14]. The bark contains about 10% tannin[9]. Often planted along the banks of rivers and lakes to prevent soil erosion[1].

Product or use
Basketry
Product or use
Tannin

Environment

Range
Europe, incl Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to France through temperate Asia to Japan.
Habitat
By rivers and streams, also on deep moist alluvial soils, avoiding very acid soils[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
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][2], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[7]. Dislikes heavy shade and dry soils[6]. Rarely thrives on chalk[7]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[6]. A fast growing tree, it is very wind resistant[K]. Widely cultivated for basket making, there are many named varieties[2][4]. Trees are usually coppiced annually for this purpose, they do not respond so well to pollarding. It should be cut back almost to ground level each year when being grown for basket making since this encourages the production of long flexible shoots[2]. In very good conditions plants can put on 4 metres or more of new growth in a year when treated in this way. A very important food source for the caterpillars of many butterfly species[12], it is also a valuable early pollen source for bees[2][6]. The plants are rich in insect life[6]. Best planted into its permanent position as soon as possible[2]. The root system is rather aggressive and can cause problems with drains[7]. Plants are best not grown within 10 metres of buildings. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[7]. 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. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  6. Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

  9. Rottsieper. E.H.W. Vegetable Tannins The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. 1946-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  11. Wright. D. Complete Book of Baskets and Basketry. David and Charles 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-7449-4

    ↩

  12. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

    ↩

  13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

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

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