Wind in the Willows

by Crystal Cockman

September 7, 2016

There is much myth and legend around willow trees, as well as several interesting facts. Weeping willows are graceful in appearance, with long narrow leaves and limbs that droop from the tree trunk. They are sometimes associated with death and dying because of their drooping appearance. Shakespeare uses willow trees in several of his plays, including the Willow Song in Othello, and Ophelia breaks willow branches and tosses them in the river in Hamlet. The willow is also associated with ghosts, and a figure called the “whomping willow” plays a prominent role in the Harry Potter series of books.

Willow trees are also called sallows and osiers, of the genus Salix. They comprise more than 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs. They are found in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are dioecious which means they have distinct male and female flowers.

Willow trees are cross-compatible and a number of hybrids occur, both naturally and in cultivation. The weeping willow (Salix sepulcralis) is a well-known ornamental hybrid, which is a mix of Peking willow (Salix babylonica) from China and white willow (Salix alba) from Europe. Weeping willows grow quickly and are a good shade tree, growing to a height of 30 to 40 inches. They grow especially well near water. Weeping willow cuttings were carried along trade routes from China early in the time of interstate commerce.

Willow trees produce a milky sap, which possesses a substance known as salicylic acid. Edward Stone, a British minister, isolated salicylic acid in 1763, but it was not widely used in medicine until 1897 when a chemist named Felix Hoffman created a synthetic version that was gentle o the stomach. His company, Bayer, produced this creation as the first aspirin.

Willow oaks are native to our area, the eastern and central United States. They are found naturally on lowland areas, along floodplains and streams. They are also used as an ornamental tree because they grow quickly, are hardy, and can withstand both sun and shade. They sometimes grow more rapidly than planners anticipate which can result in cracked sidewalks.

Another interesting species that goes by the moniker of willow that we have in our area is the water willow. They are an herbaceous perennial wildflower that grows in the middle of streams and rivers, known as an emergent aquatic, found up to a few feet above the water line. They are found in wetlands with stagnant water or slow to moderate currents. They have stems with pairs of opposite leaves, and white to whitish-purple blooms. Water Willow flowers are pretty and bloom for a long period of time. They are not closely related to willows of the genus Salix. They are also graceful in appearance though, much like the other willows mentioned above. You can almost imagine a wind gently blowing any of these willow species and gracefully moving the foliage, a symbol of serenity and peace.