Salix aegyptiaca
L.
Cape Willow
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Abolfazl Sharifian, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Abolfazl Sharifian, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Abolfazl Sharifian, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaSalix aegyptiaca, known as the Persian willow, is a large shrub or small tree from the genus of willow (Salix) with red branches that are tomentose in the first two years and leaves up to 15 centimeters long. The natural range of the species is in the Caucasus and in western Asia. It is cultivated in many countries.
Description
A shrub or small tree. It grow about 4 m high. The branches are grey and downy when young. They become reddish or brown when old. The leaves are on twigs which have ridges. The leaves are narrowly oval and 10 cm long. The edges are crinkled. The catkins are large. The male flowers have bright yellow anthers.
Edible Uses
The inner bark can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder, and added to cereal flours for making bread. It is considered a famine food, used only when all else fails. Young shoots are cooked but are not very palatable. Male catkins can be sugared, and a perfumed drink is made from the catkins.
Medicinal Uses
The fresh bark contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid — closely related to aspirin — in the human body, and is used as an anodyne and febrifuge. This applies to all members of this genus.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant.
Where It Grows
Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Türkiye,
Cultivation
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. Closely related to S. cinerea. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed must be surface sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring, as viability is very short — perhaps only a few days. Cuttings of mature wood from the current year's growth can be taken November to February and placed in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted straight into their permanent position with a good weed-suppressing mulch; this method is very easy. Plant out into permanent positions in autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood taken June to August in a frame are also very easy.
Other Uses
Dynamic accumulator.
Production
It is fast growing.
Notes
There are about 300 Salix species.
Synonyms
References (4)
- Cent. pl. I:33. 1755 (Amoen. acad. 4:295. 1759)
- Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
- Morley, B. & Everard, B., 1970, Wild Flowers of the World. Ebury press. Plate 47
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
