When setting up a garden or a small park, each person thinks about which trees to choose. Willow will be a wonderful decoration. The tree will perfectly fit into the overall color and will delight the owner and the whole family with its healing properties. It is not too whimsical, but still has its own characteristics.
Tree propagation
Today, many people know what a willow looks like. Finding a photo of a tree is quite easy. And these plants appeared many years ago. Archaeologists have discovered imprints of willow leaves in sediments that date back to the Cretaceous period.
Some representatives of the family are found even beyond the Arctic Circle. Sizes range from trees with a trunk of fifteen meters to small shrubs. There are a huge number of willows in nature, some are more common, others are not so famous.
Shelyuga, willow, willow, willow, vine, tal - all these are trees and shrubs that belong to the same family - Willow.
Detailed study of willow
People study nature all the time. Natural knowledge helps to survive. When collecting plants for food, one should understand what is dangerous and where useful elements are hidden.
First descriptionswillows are found as early as the first century. Pliny the Elder described more than five species in his books. With the development of science, people are learning more and more about wildlife and trying to classify everything. Willow has always been of interest to scientists. The tree, whose species were not so numerous many years ago (more than two dozen), created a series of disputes between Linnaeus and Scopoli.
The family was also studied in Russia. It was the Soviet scientist Skvortsov who collected and organized all the available data on trees, carried out typification and selected the appropriate names, and identified subspecies.
However, their huge variety still causes controversy and different opinions in scientific circles. Some countries even have their own schools for the study of these trees. Willow represents a huge variety of shapes and colors. A tree photo is most often weeping types located on the banks of rivers or lakes. Probably because these plants look especially bright and inspirational.
In the botanical gardens of England and Paris, you can observe representatives of these plants.
Willow Family
Three trees: poplar, willow and chosenia. What unites them? All of them are members of the Willow family and together there are more than four hundred species. Most of it grows in temperate regions, but there are plants that have reached the tropics, which indicates a variety of possible growing options. There are trees from the family growing in Africa.
These trees love light and moisture, but to varying degrees. Many are capableendure life in conditions with a lack of water. If we talk about poplars, then they are represented only by trees. Tall and strong trunks with lush crowns.
Is the willow a tree or a shrub? It can be a tree with a huge tall trunk or a lush shrub, a small spreading plant. But the smallest species (from the Arctic and the Alps) still did not become grasses.
Willow can be found on the banks of the river. This is one of the best places for a tree - lots of moisture and sun. At the same time, individual specimens can come across on slopes, sands, swamps and in the forest (as a mixture with other trees).
Three kinds of willows
Poplars can be considered the most primitive member of the family. Although in some areas they are found at almost every turn. They are of great importance to a person. Due to their natural growth rate and unpretentious nature, they make an excellent source of timber.
Chosenia is represented by only one species. The tree is very fond of sunlight and grows on soil, which consists of a mixture of gravel and sand. Chosenia groves do not grow. As they age, they dry out and decay, or are replaced by other species. It is rather difficult to breed, therefore they do not have a large distribution.
Willow is the most diverse genus of the family. You can meet him in any geographic location. It is divided into three subgenera: Salix, Vetrix and Chamaetia. Each of them has its own characteristics and a lot of representatives. You can meet such trees in many places on our planet. Huge, strong and small decorative.
Subgenus Salix
Most of the representatives are trees. The list includes approximately thirty species. Such a willow is a tree whose leaves are always sharp, flat. The veins are not depressed, and the edges are not twisted.
White willow is medium to large. The leaves are whitish with a silvery tint. Most often grows in river valleys. They are often bred, especially in rural areas.
In addition, there are decorative representatives. Weeping willow is a tree that can be found in Asia Minor. It is from there that the representative comes from, bearing the name fragile. A plucked branch of such a tree takes root well. Thanks to this, the species has spread far beyond its homeland - this tree can be found in many parts of Europe.
Willow five-stamen is interesting for its external characteristics. It has beautiful foliage, as if covered with gloss. It blooms the very last of all representatives of its kind, and only by the end of the warm season do its seeds ripen. Throughout autumn and winter, the tree is decorated with hanging dry earrings.
Vetrix and Hamiteya
Together, these two subspecies number more than three hundred representatives. The willow tree, described below, is found in forest zones with temperate climatic conditions and belongs to the subspecies of vetrix (goat willow or bredina). It has large spreading branches and a smooth trunk. It perfectly tolerates transplanting in various conditions, therefore it is quite popular with gardeners. Subspeciesvetrix is a willow, tree or shrub of fairly large growth. In addition, representatives differ in the structure of the kidneys, early flowering and shoots with absent or underdeveloped foliage.
The Chametea group includes mostly undersized shrubs, some of which are creeping. Earrings are located at the very end of the deciduous shoot. Seeds ripen quite late. In the forest-tundra, you can most often see the gray-blue willow. It is interesting to grow polar and herbal. Their trunk is deeply buried in the soil or moss, and only thin twigs with leaves come out.
The most common representatives
In Europe, Russia, Central Asia, on slopes, edges and in forests, you can meet goat willow.
This ten meter high plant has a rounded and dense crown. Can sometimes be a shrub.
Another tree of the goat willow genus is Mas willow, characterized by spreading foliage, greenish bark and dark red shoots. The plant is unpretentious to the soil, grows quickly enough, and the average life expectancy is thirty years.
A fairly well-known tree in our area is willow. The description of the appearance of the weeping beauty has a fabulous and romantic story - about a girl who lost her lover and turned into an elegant tree. Standing on the shore, she sheds tears to this day, remembering the loss.
Application
A distinctive feature of the willow, which is actively used by all mankind, can be considered a well-developed root system. It usually coverslarge space, has many branches. Thanks to this, it holds the soil very well. It is used for:
- strengthening loose rocks;
- regulating rivers in mountainous areas;
- strengthening the banks of canals and dams;
- strengthening sharp sloping slopes;
- to prevent erosion in the steppes;
- detention of sand in places with high humidity.
Wood is suitable as a material for crafts, it is quite soft and light. In some areas, residential buildings are being built from willow. Some animals love to eat leaves. Willow - a tree that is considered an excellent honey plant, it is willingly visited by bees to collect nectar.
The bark is used in leather tanning. A variety of weaves are made from it, as well as from flexible and durable branches.
Use in traditional medicine
It is difficult to find a willow-like tree that has such a wide distribution and diverse uses.
Trees of all kinds have useful substances in their composition. Goat, brittle willow and some other representatives are especially rich in them.
Medicines based on the bark help with inflammation, relieve pain, increase the ability of blood to clot, reduce urine production.
Clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of willow in the treatment of hypertension.
People suffering from tachycardia and neurosis can take a decoction ortinctures based on inflorescences.
Since ancient times, willow was believed to have magical properties. What tree is used in Christian rites? Willow belonging to the willow family. Previously, she was credited with the strongest healing properties. It was believed that by swallowing a kidney, you can get rid of fever and other diseases.
Decoctions are used externally or drunk - depending on the problem. For example, they rinse the mouth with inflammation and take baths with strong sweating.
Breeding
People involved in wicker weaving experience certain difficulties in finding materials. Therefore, many are thinking about breeding their own small plantation.
For good growth, you should choose a lighted and sufficiently humid place. It is best that the chemical composition of the soil is acidic.
You can grow a new tree using seeds or cuttings. In order for them to take root and give good shoots, you should carefully consider the choice of part for germination. It is best to use the cutting, which is located at the very bottom of the trunk. This part is called butt.
Willow is a tree that is planted in spring or autumn. The thickness and height depend on the location frequency. The closer the trees are, the thinner the trunk will be.
