Salix hookeriana
Barratt ex Hook.
Dune willow, Barclay's Willow, Coastal Willow
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(c) Remington Jackson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaSalix hookeriana is a species of willow known by the common names dune willow, coastal willow, and Hooker's willow.
Description
A shrub or small tree. It grows to 1 m high and spreads 1 m wide. The branches can be reddish brown. The leaves are broadly oval and 4-10 cm long. They are covered with a whitish down when young. They are smooth and dark green above and bluish green underneath. The flower catkins are on short leafy stalks.
Edible Uses
The inner bark can be eaten raw or cooked, or dried and ground into a powder to blend with cereal flour for bread-making. It has a very bitter flavour and is regarded as a famine food, used only when all else fails. Young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked, though they are not very palatable. The leaves have been used as a flavouring in cooked foods.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are used as flavouring.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
The leaves have been used as an antidote to shellfish poisoning. The fresh bark contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body, giving it anodyne and febrifuge properties.
Known Hazards
None mentioned.
Distribution
It suits hardiness zones 6-9.
Where It Grows
Australia, Canada, North America, USA,
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. Tolerates maritime exposure. A fast-growing but short-lived species. 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 rooted in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted directly into their permanent position with a weed-suppressing mulch; success is very easy. Plant out into permanent positions in autumn. Half-ripe cuttings can be taken June to August and rooted in a frame, also very easily.
Other Uses
The very flexible stems are used in basket making, and the bark has been used extensively in basket making as well. The plant is usually coppiced annually for this purpose, though coppicing every two years yields thicker poles suitable as uprights. Fibres from the inner bark can be twisted into long ropes. The soft roots have been used as a towel for rubbing down after bathing, and an infusion of the roots has been used as a hair wash. The wood is light, soft, and close-grained. This species tolerates maritime exposure and is a dynamic accumulator.
Notes
There are about 300 Salix species.
Synonyms
References (5)
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 1297
- Farrar, J.L., 1995, Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Iowa State University press/Ames p 323
- Fl. bor.-amer. 2:145, t. 180. 1838
- Moerman, D. F., 2010, Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p 503
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
