Willow-like branches. When will willow bloom? Why is the willow called weeping

(By the way, I was traveling with a friend who lives in the suburbs - and despite this, she also did not know the signs of a willow ... What can we say about me, a city dweller who lives not in a particularly rich herbage and colors of stone areas ...)

Speaking of willow, willow, many people think that we are talking about the same tree, but this is not so. Despite the fact that they belong to the same family - Willows, there are differences between them.

Willow is a type of willow. A willow is either a holly willow, or a goat willow, or a wolf willow. It could be a tree or a shrub.

Traditionally, it is considered that the willow branches are painted in reddish or cherry color. Therefore, they also say “red willow”. Most often, willow holly is called willow. Her inflorescences are white and fluffy, do not crumble for a long time.

A good example of willow (holly willow):

With the first rays of the sun, when there is not a leaf on the trees yet, the willow wakes up first and pleases everyone with its fluffy white earrings. But the willow blooms later, along with the blossoming foliage, and unlike the willow, it has small yellow-green catkins.

Willow bark is red-brown, while willow bark is greenish-gray. Thin, flexible willow branches are covered with long, sharp leaves. Willow branches are rigid, thick with wide, semicircular leaves.

These plants differ in places of growth. Willow, mainly grows near swamps, lakes, ditches where there is water. And willow can grow everywhere.

Consider the trees from afar. The crown of the willow is at the top, has an oval shape. Long, thin willow branches, inclined downwards, form a spherical crown.

This is a willow This is a willow

In general, willow, willow, willow, willow - the common name of the trees of the willow family. But it is customary for us to call a snow-white willow a willow

Several dozen species of willows grow in the central zone of our country, and each of them has its own name (for example, white willow, brittle willow, etc.). These species differ markedly from each other in appearance, in the shape of the leaves. Some willows grow in big trees, others always remain squat shrubs. The leaves of some willows are small and narrow, others are large and wide, etc. Almost all willows bloom in early spring.

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It's white willow

Willow goat, small, does not grow more than five meters, sometimes weeping

Rakita, willow, willow are folk names

About willow on Palm Sunday

Willow is one of the types of willows. Not every branch of a willow with white catkins is a willow. It is quite difficult to find a real willow, and even with beautiful earrings that sit correctly on the shoots. I remember that some twenty years ago, at the request of one grandmother, we collected beautiful, but variegated willow branches with catkins. “This is not a willow, but a bark,” the old woman complained.

And indeed, it is customary for us to bring willow to the temple for this holiday, with its reddish straight branches, decorated with snow-white and white earrings. However, you often see other types of willows in the hands of parishioners, most often very similar to each other, gray, ashen and eared willow with short, highly branched branches and pinkish-white flower buds (what the old woman called "bark").

Goat willow shoots with large yellow catkins look much better, but still this is not a willow either. It is easy to distinguish it from willow when harvested, if only because goat willow is a tree up to 10 meters high, and willow is a bush.
The generic name of all willows Salix comes from the Celtic words sal - "close" and lis - "water". This name is very true, since willows are closely related to water. In the Moscow region, 30 species of willows are most common.

And the willow itself is the holly willow Salix acutifolia. It is also called krasnotal and sheluga. Of all the types of willows, it blooms the earliest in our country. It is difficult to call a willow and a tree - rather, it is a tall bush. It is easily recognizable by its red branches with a bluish, easily erased coating, and the inside of the bark is lemon-yellow, tasting bitter. Willow blooms with silvery inflorescences before the leaves bloom, and therefore in late March and early April it is noticeable from afar.

The willow has large, 10–20 mm long, catkins. Usually, as soon as the warm days set in and the sun begins to bake, the earrings begin to turn gold. It is the anthers of stamens that have ripened on male catkins. And the female inflorescences give the earrings a greenish tint. On a fine April day, there is a rumble near a flowering willow bush - these are bees collecting their first bribe.

Only after flowering, narrow lanceolate bluish leaves appear on the branches, 6–15 cm long.
Willow grows mainly in floodplains on sandy soil, and therefore it is necessary to look for it in urems, in floodplains, along the banks of rivers and small rivers. sandy soil - good criterion to search for willow.
Willow, as well as other types of willows, can rightly be called the main defenders of river banks. Water, especially during floods, tends to wash and destroy the shore, but willows, thanks to their extensive root system, do not allow this to be done.

On Palm Sunday, parishioners hold red willow twigs with golden earrings, the temples are filled with the delicate aroma of blooming Russian frond - willow. In some years, with early spring and very late Easter willow with earrings can no longer be found. So it was, for example, on Palm Sunday in 2008. In the temples, many stood with willow branches covered with green leaves, but some brought other types of late-blooming willows.

What is the difference between willow and willow? Few people thought about this question, since it seemed to everyone that these were just two names for the same plant. However, it is worth knowing more about it than you know.

willow family

Each is beautiful in its own way and willow and willow are somewhat similar. There is still a difference between them.

Willow is a deciduous plant (shrub or tree). Its species differ from each other mainly in external features. In general, there are about 600 species of plants of this genus in the world.

The entire willow family on the territory of Russia has more than 120 species: chernotal, rakita, belotal, milk kita, willow, sheluga, goat willow and many others.

This plant has an unimaginable desire for life: any shoot, twig or stump stuck into the ground is quickly covered with numerous young shoots.

And how to distinguish willow from willow? When talking about these two plants, many people think that we are talking about one plant, but this is not so. They belong to the same genus (family) - willow. They have differences.

Some species of plants from the willow genus are called willow. For example: holly willow, goat willow, wolf willow, etc.

Signs associated with willow. What do people believe?

Many hopes people associated and still associate with willow:

A branch thrown against the wind will help calm the storm, and thrown into the flames of a fire will calm the fire.

Willow branches attached to the gate will drive away all evil spirits.

With the help of a willow branch, you can even find a treasure.

Previously, cattle were driven out to the very first place with the help of willow.

Ancient and other beliefs

1. The ancient Slavs called the willow the perun vine.
2. Children used to be bathed for health in a decoction of willow twigs.
3. A real old Slavic rite - a wedding around a rakita.
4. Lithuanian peasant women prayed to the willow in the old days, so that she would help them - give a child.
5. Also in ancient times it was believed that willow helps in eloquence. In this regard, it was called the tree of poets and singers.
6. In China, willow is a symbol of spring and feminine beauty, suppleness and softness.
7. And the Jews in ancient times called the willow a symbol of misfortune, sadness, sadness, death, funeral (namely, a weeping willow).
8. In Japan, this plant also carries sadness and weakness. However, it also brings tenderness, and grace, and calmness, and constancy.

Verba (krasnotal) - the tree of Palm Sunday. This is a Christian spring holiday dedicated to the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The Jews met him with vayami - branches of the Jerusalem willow - or branches date palm.

In the spring, when buds are just appearing on the trees, there is not a single leaf yet, the willow is the first to respond to the spring rays of the sun. She pleases everyone with her tender, surprisingly soft and fluffy buds. white color. And the willow begins to bloom along with the rest of the plants. And unlike the willow, it has small yellowish-green buds.

They also differ in the color of their bark. In willow it is reddish-brown, and in willow it is grayish-green.

How to distinguish willow from willow in other ways? In willow, thin and flexible branches are covered with elongated sharp leaves. And at the willow, the stiff and thick branches have wide and semicircular leaves.

They also have excellent habitats. Willow can grow almost everywhere, and willow - mainly near lakes, rivers, swamps, ditches, i.e. where there is water.

Types and varieties of willow

We continue to talk about how to distinguish willow from willow. Willows have a see-through, transparent crown, with flexible, thin and delicate branches, on which narrow, pointed, elongated leaves bloom. For the most part, these plants are up to 15 m high, but can be higher - up to 40 m. There are also dwarf, small willows.

Some varieties of willows:

1. Brittle willow - a tree up to 15 meters high and 8 meters wide. Sometimes it has a slightly curved shape and even with two trunks. It grows in territories from Europe to Asia.

2. Goat willow - a rather large shrub or tree up to 12 m high and up to 6 m wide with a short trunk and a round crown. It grows mainly in Central Asia and Europe.

3. Purple willow - a large 10-meter tree. It grows naturally in and in central Europe.

4. Creeping willow. The inflorescences of this lovely willow have pink, silvery and fluffy (woolly) scales. It can be grown in the garden, and in a container or in a container - on the balcony.

5. White willow - a large tree up to 25 meters in height and up to 15 meters in width. Found throughout Europe. This plant has not only an unusually beautiful crown, but also the original color of the shoots: in summer - brown-red, in spring - bright yellow.

6. Babylonian willow - a wonderful weeping tree. One of the most beautiful decorations of gardens and parks in the south of Russia. This willow comes from Northern and Central China. Height - no more than 15 meters, width - 9 meters.

Holly willow - willow

This willow, like several other types of willows (named above), is called willow. Holly willow is a shrub or tree up to 8 meters high with an oval-shaped crown. Willow shoots are tender and flexible, with a pleasant bluish bloom.

Its leaves are linear-lanceolate, longish and pointed. They are shiny, green in the upper part, gray in the lower part.

This type of plant is one of the most unpretentious to any growing conditions. Propagated by cuttings and even twigs.

The answer to the question of how to distinguish a willow from a willow is given. But this plant not only looks great in nature, but is also useful.

From willow branches it is convenient to weave beautiful baskets, furniture, mats, various decorations for home and garden design. They used to make hoops for barrels from willow and those very magnificent arches for horses, on which silver bells rang beautifully ...

“I sniff the willow: it smells bitterly - fragrant, forest bitterness alive, dense - dense spirit, it tickles my face with fluff, it's so pleasant. What soft fluffs, in golden pollen ... "
I.S. Shmelev "Summer of the Lord"

The willow is almost the first to bloom after the snow melts. Therefore, people considered it necessary to celebrate this event and welcome spring and new life!

Also, there is a folk legend about a woman who had so many children that she was ready to argue with Mother Earth herself about which of them is more prolific. Mother Earth got angry and turned the woman into a willow.

The willow blossomed - it means spring is coming soon, nature comes to life. In Russia, the willow has also become an important religious attribute, replacing the palm branches that were thrown at Christ's feet when he entered Jerusalem. For the holiday, the Orthodox decorate their houses with it: they attach a bunch to the icons in the “red corner”, put them in bouquets. In addition, earlier, on the right and left of the gates of each house, a flowering willow branch was attached.
Willow is a plant popular not only in medicine, but also in folklore. Moreover, in proverbs, the willow does not play the most benevolent role: “You will wait, like apples from a willow”, “Whoever plants a willow, prepares a spade for himself.” Willow reminded our ancestors of other world. At the same time, the plant was a symbol of something frivolous and “easily adaptable” to the realities of life. It was not in vain that they said - "a German is like a willow: wherever you poke, then he began."
Perhaps the most vivid memory of the willow was formed in childhood, and not the most pleasant one either. Willow rods were used to punish disobedient children: “Willow whip, beat to tears”, “It’s not me who beats, willow beats” or “Red willow beats in vain; willow white beats for the cause "
In Slavic folklore and beliefs, Verba turns out to be involved in the sphere of the miraculous, compare, for example, the motifs of the "golden willow" ("won't turn around, golden willows will grow") and "pears on the willow" ("... we have girls in gold walk , we will give birth to willow pears"), known in Western Ukrainian folklore. In an East Slavic fairy tale - a fiction on a horse, Willow grows to the sky.

In the south of Poland and in Galicia, stories are known about a wonderful pipe that can be made from a willow growing in the very depths of the forest, where it has not been touched. Sunbeam and where she had never heard a cock crow or running water. With the help of such a pipe, you can cheer up a sad person, make someone who has never done it dance, you can attract other people's bees to your hives, expose a villain and a murderer, etc.

Willow was a sacred plant not only for the Russian people, but for the entire Orthodox world. Previously, in Bosnia, girls girded themselves with willow that next year they would marry and give birth to offspring. In the Czech Republic and Poland, the guys lightly beat the girls with wicker rods, and the next day the young people changed roles.

In Slovenia and Croatia, children acted in a similar way - they slapped adults with rods, demanding gifts or money in return. And it was also customary for Western Slavs to burn willow on Palm Sunday: supposedly, until that moment, various evil spirits lived in it. By the way, they whipped children with willows for this very reason - they attributed to the plant magical properties to drive out evil spirits.

Willow is a remedy, according to adherents of traditional medicine, extremely useful in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Decoctions of the bark, leaves and inflorescences of willow are used as astringent, antipyretic, antirheumatic, choleretic, wound healing agents.

Previously, decoctions were even used to treat malaria. Palm buds were eaten by patients with fever and women who dreamed of being cured of infertility. It was even said that a consecrated willow branch can heal an unhealthy person if you touch it to his feet. In addition, the buds of the plant were even eaten - on Palm Sunday they baked pies and cooked porridge with them.

Whether it's snowing, whether the sun shines brightly, painting the sparkling sparks of snow in all the colors of the rainbow, and it's winter outside, despite the calendar spring...

In past years, when the Volga was not yet so polluted and poisoned with all kinds of chemicals, the water in the river froze to a considerable depth, withstanding not only crowds of people, but also heavy trucks. Even herds of elephants and bison released onto the ice at the same time would not have broken it. Every weekend people - some on skis, some on foot - moved in an avalanche towards the embankment. Some went to the other side of the river and walked in the forest, others only got to the sandy spit where the willow grew.

Therefore, on the eve of spring, a police cordon was established on the embankment, which vigilantly guarded whether one of those returning to the city hid broken willow branches in a bag or in his bosom. If any were found, then the willow was immediately confiscated, and the violators were fined. Now no one guards the willow. And she still opens her soft white buds every year in late February - early March ...

More about willow

Willow (holly willow) - Salix acutifolia Willd - is also popularly called red willow, red husk, red willow, verbose. Willow is a deciduous tree or tall shrub with dark bark and a spreading crown from the willow family. Willow branches are rather thin and flexible, young shoots are reddish-brown in color with a slight wax coating. If this plaque is rubbed with a hand or a cloth, it will quickly be erased. The leaves are long, pointed, light green or slightly silvery, shiny above, more below dark color, often with a bluish tinge.

The willow has large flower buds, when the reddish thin film bursts, a grayish-white fluffy lump appears. Then it is covered with greenish-yellow small flowers. And it starts to resemble a tiny chicken.

Willow is the first tree to bloom in middle lane Russia. The fruit is a box. Ripens in May-June.
Willow grows almost throughout Russia, both in its European part and in Siberia, in the Urals, preferring sandy floodplains, spits and river banks.

Willow, like all willow trees, has long roots, they grow into the soil to a depth of 15 meters, thereby strengthening the banks and preventing water from washing away the sandy soil. In addition to the fact that believers use willow branches on Palm Sunday, decorating their homes with them, willow is used for weaving and is a valuable medicinal plant.

Health Benefits of Willow

Willow bark contains vitamin C, carbohydrates, cellulose, glycoside salicin, lignin, anthocyanins, flavones, catechins, tannins ... Willow bark is harvested on the eve of spring or at the very beginning of March before flowering and during sap flow. The tree should not be old or too young. Trees 6-8 years old are considered the most healing. The bark is removed carefully, cut into pieces, dried in the sun, and then dried in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50-60 degrees until it breaks easily. The shelf life of the bark is 4 years.

Willow treatment

For medicinal purposes, male earrings are also collected during flowering. Willow decoctions have hemostatic, disinfectant, astringent, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic properties.

A decoction of willow bark prevents blood clots from forming, because it thins the blood.

In folk medicine, willow preparations are used for sore throat, fever, malaria, internal bleeding, dysentery, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon, gynecological diseases, rheumatism ...

With inflammation of the mouth and throat, decoctions are used for rinsing.

For varicose veins and skin diseases, decoction baths are used.

Decoction for diseases of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract: 2 tbsp. spoons of dry chopped willow bark brew with 1 liter of boiling water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and hold for 5 minutes on low heat. Strain. Take ½ cup 3-4 times a day.

With pulmonary tuberculosis and jaundice, drink 2 cups of decoction per day.

For rheumatism: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of chopped willow bark with 1 cup of boiling water and leave for half an hour under the lid in an enameled saucepan. Strain and take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

For women's diseases, 2 teaspoons are brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, infused until cool and drunk throughout the day in equal portions.

With diarrhea 1 tbsp. a spoonful of bark is brewed with 2 cups of boiling water, boiled for 10 minutes, filtered and drunk in small sips throughout the day.

Willow bark powder is sprinkled on wounds, eczema, poured gently into the nostrils for nosebleeds.

For pain in the legs 2 tbsp. spoons of the bark are poured with two liters of boiling water, boiled for 10-15 minutes, filtered, poured into a basin, boiled water is added so that it is not hot, and foot baths are taken for half an hour. Then the feet get wet and put on cotton stockings. Foot baths are also useful for people recovering from a serious illness. And also for those whose legs hurt after a long walk.

Willow is a tree that absorbs negative energy, so it relieves pain well if you lean against the tree with a sore spot. In case of depression, neurosis, hysteria, they press against the willow trunk either with the spine or hug the tree with their hands. You need to cuddle with a willow no more than 10-15 minutes a day. If it is not possible to go to a tree growing in nature, then small pieces of willow trunk can be used at home. In the old days, toothache, headache, rheumatism, furunculosis, tonsillitis were treated in this way. But it is not recommended to keep pieces of a willow trunk on a sore spot for more than half an hour, since you can lose a lot of energy.

A bit of history

Our ancestors believed that if you go to the deepest part of the forest, where the rays of the sun do not penetrate even on the clearest day, find a willow there, make a pipe out of it, then its sound can amuse any princess Nesmeyana. And our ancestors also brought their disease to willow. To do this, the sufferer girded himself with a straw belt, and then late in the evening, hiding from human eyes, he went to a young willow and girded it with a straw belt removed from himself.

Willow and Palm Sunday

The willow consecrated in the church is kept until the next Palm Sunday, as protection from evil spirits and diseases.

Many are associated with willow folk omens. They looked into the arable harvest: “If there are thick lambs on the top of the willow, then the first sowing will give good harvest, and if there are thick lambs at the bottom of the willow, then the last sowing will be better than the first.

But, probably, most grateful people love willow because it awakens spring in their souls and fills them with joy, despite the snow and morning frosts. After all, if the willow blossomed, then soon the displeased grunting old woman winter will throw her modest bundle over her shoulders and go to distant lands, and a young and beautiful Spring will come to us! And the willow is the first to tell us about it.

It is customary in Rus' to call the last Sunday of Great Lent. Two thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Jerusalem met Christ, who entered the city through the Golden Gate, with candles and date palm branches in his hands. In memory of this, believing Russians to this day come to the temple for a holiday with willow branches, since in our area it gives a kidney earlier than other tree branches.

The holiday is celebrated a week before Easter, and these days everywhere in the city you can buy twigs with silver-white fluffy inflorescences - "lambs". The majority of the population, far from the intricacies of Orthodox rituals, perceives willow on this day as nothing more than a tribute to a beautiful tradition. Decorating your home with willow branches is like painting eggs for Easter.

Willow is often found in the folklore of the Slavs as a symbol of rapid growth, health, vitality, fertility - childless women prayed at the willow, made sacrifices to it, asking to give them children. Consecrated on Palm Sunday, it was considered a healing tool. She fumigated the premises, pounded into powder, drank along with juniper from various diseases, applied in lotions. Willow branches were supposed to lightly whip each other, saying: "It's not me who beats, the willow beats, in a week Great day - be healthy like water, be rich like earth." The sick, hoping for a cure, whipped themselves: "Willow whip, beats to tears." There were other sayings: "The willow is red - it beats in vain", "The willow is white - it beats for the cause." The villagers also believed in a sign associated with willow: “Where there is water, there is willow, where there is willow, there is water!” And it was also believed that from the willows brought into the house, all evil spirits leave the walls. The consecrated willow was kept on the goddess behind the icon as a family amulet from illness, evil spirits, natural disasters. The Slavs believed that a consecrated willow thrown into the fire would pacify it, and thrown against the wind would drive away the storm.

Willow or willow?

"This is not a willow, but a willow," - I recently heard such a statement. This statement is absolutely incorrect, since willow is just one of dozens of willow species. Trees, shrubs, shrubs and creeping plants. Flowering before leafing and mid-summer. The variety is huge.

The confusion arises from the variety of local names for different species. Willow, willow, sheluga, willow, vine, willow, tal, willow and so on. According to some sources, the common Slavic word "willow" came from the Indo-European stem, which meant "to bend, twist." Its original meaning is "some kind of bending object", and later - "rod, branch". The noun "willow" is derived from the same root as the verb "twirl", and at first literally meant "branch", or "winding part of a tree."

Some Internet sources suggest that several early-flowering willow species are considered willow. I think it is more correct to attribute the name willow to a very specific plant - holly willow.

Thin graceful reddish shoots with a bluish bloom, silvery inflorescences (earrings) become bright yellow during flowering.

Of the other types of willows most commonly identified by people, there are several:

• goat willow - nonsense (it is often confused with willow, but nonsense is distinguished by more massive greenish shoots and larger buds);
• white willow - willow (usually a large tree that blooms in early summer);
• brittle willow - willow.

The church feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem in Russia always falls in the spring. At the beginning of flowering willow. Therefore, it is the willow that replaces the palm branches for Christians, with which the Jews met Christ at the time of his entry into Jerusalem.

According to tradition, willow branches are plucked on the eve of Palm Sunday or a few days before it. The consecration of the branches takes place on Saturday evening during the festive service - All-night vigil. The priest reads a special prayer, sprinkles them with holy water. Sometimes the willow is also consecrated on Sunday morning - during the Liturgy or at the end of the service, but it is better to do it the day before. Those who did not bring their willows to the temple can pick up the consecrated branches after the service. So if you haven't prepared them ahead of time, don't worry.

Parishioners bring consecrated willow bouquets home and keep them throughout the year as a kind of reminder that we must always be ready to meet the Savior.

IN Ancient Egypt And Ancient Greece the palm branch was a symbol of victory, glory, health and longevity. To notify the people of the victory, the Greek soldiers sent a messenger with a palm branch.

The palm branch was awarded to the winners of the Olympic Games. In ancient Rome, a palm branch served as a sign of a person who won a lawsuit. The Romans decorated their homes with them during the Saturnalia* festival, as well as the tombstones of glorious warriors and worthy people.

Palm branches were also symbols of reverence. For example, it was the custom of the people of Israel to greet war heroes or royalty entering Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of welcome.

In the Middle Ages, palm branches began to be associated with martyrdom. Palm branches are often present in the images of the holy martyrs who suffered for the faith. The Renaissance began to portray the palm branch as a symbol of peace, goodness and justice.

It was the palm tree that gave the name to those who visit the holy places: once a pilgrim was called the one who on Palm Sunday went in procession from Bethany to Jerusalem.

The believers keep willow branches consecrated in the temple at home for a year: they put them in a vase, put them or attach them to the icons.

Willow is a deciduous tree of the Willow family. There are more than 550 species on the planet, they mainly grow in areas with a temperate and cool climate in the Northern Hemisphere. Some varieties are found beyond the Arctic Circle and in the tropics. Scientists note that willows are old-timers on the planet, their leaves are imprinted in Cretaceous deposits, whose age is estimated at tens of millions of years.

Total information

In Russia, the plant has several names - willow, willow, willow, willow, tal, vine, lozina, shelyuga.

Most often, willow is a tree about 15 meters high, or a low shrub. But some species of willow are represented by specimens over 30 meters high with a trunk diameter of 50 cm. In the North, willow is no longer a tree, but undersized, creeping shrub, which does not grow above 20-30 cm. A grassy willow also grows there, only 2-3 centimeters high.

Willow grows well along the banks of rivers and lakes, but there are species that grow on the slopes of mountains and in semi-deserts.

Willows of various species have very well developed roots, so they are planted to strengthen loose sandy soil. Willow is also bred to secure the shores of natural and artificial reservoirs - dams, canals, rivers, lakes, ponds. Weeping willow - a good decoration of the park or personal plot, especially if there is an artificial reservoir nearby - a pond or a pool, so landscape designers are willing to work with it.

Variety of species

This article will discuss decorative varieties that are used in landscape design.

White willow is a rather large tree with spectacularly hanging thin branches, with long silvery leaves. White willow grows rapidly, is not demanding on the soil, can grow on waterlogged soil. This tree loves light and warmth, and at the same time tolerates harsh Russian winters well. The lush crown is easy to cut. The tree can be used for a single planting in the park.

The willow has a tent-shaped crown, dark green leaves with a silvery tint, which turn yellow-green in autumn. It blooms in April-May with fluffy yellow-green flowers - seals. At five years old, it grows up to 3 meters, reaches a maximum after 15-20 years, and it is 25 meters. at the same time, its crown diameter increases to 20 meters.

goat willow Kilmarnock - low decorative tree with hanging branches, the height depends on the grafting site. Goat willow is unpretentious to growing conditions, loves light, but can grow in shady places, suitable for planting near a reservoir. Grows well in moist soil, hardy.

The crown shape of the willow of this variety is weeping, the leaves are dull green with a silvery tint, turning yellow in autumn. Blooms in April-May fluffy golden flowers. Willow kilmarnock does not grow above one and a half meters, and its crown diameter rarely exceeds 1.5 meters.

Willow goat Pendula is a low ornamental tree that will look great in group plantings on the shore of a reservoir. Its height also depends on the height of the graft. A light-loving and frost-resistant plant, it develops well on any type of soil with different humidity.

The crown of the willow of this variety is weeping, the leaves are dull green, silvery, turning yellow in autumn. Blooms in spring with golden seals. Willow pendula is never higher than 170 cm, and its crown diameter does not exceed 1.5 meters.

Willow goat Pendula.

Willow brittle - a small tree or shrub. Grows quickly in moist soil and in flooded areas. Light-requiring, but can grow in partial shade.

The shape of the crown of the willow of this variety is soft, round, in appearance resembles clouds. Green leaves turn bright yellow in autumn. It blooms in April-May with oblong green-yellow flowers. Brittle willow grows up to 15 meters in height, while its crown diameter reaches 12 meters.

Willow brittle "Spherical".

Purple willow is a shrub with thin, reddish-brown branches that have a bluish bloom. Grows quickly in any type of soil, even sand. Differs in frost resistance and unpretentiousness to illumination. The crown is easy to shape with a haircut. Purple willow can be used as a hedge or as a single planting.

The shape of the crown is spherical, the leaves are silver-green, in autumn they acquire a yellow-green color. It blooms in April-May with oblong purple flowers. Willow purple grows up to 5 meters in height, and the diameter of the crown rarely exceeds 5 meters.

Purple willow.

Purple willow Lighthouse is a winter-hardy, ornamental, openwork shrub with thin red-pink branches. Likes bright, sunny places and moderately moist soil. Can be planted in hedges, and in compositions with other shrubs and trees.

The shape of the crown is spherical, the leaves are silvery green in summer and yellow-green in autumn. Yellow-pink flowers appear in spring. The dimensions of the lighthouse willow are 3 meters in height, with a crown diameter of 3 meters.

Willow purple Nana - shrub with red-brown branches. Undemanding to soils and illumination, frost-resistant, but in winter it needs protection from the wind. The crown is easy to shape with a haircut. The shrub can be planted in groups or alone, in hedges and for planting near water bodies.

The shape of the crown is lush, semicircular. The leaves are oblong, narrow, silvery-green in summer and yellow-green in autumn. Blooms in spring with light green flowers. The height of the bush and the diameter of the crown do not exceed one and a half meters.

Willow purple Pendula is a frost-resistant, lush shrub with thin branches of a purple hue. Loves moist soil and light, can grow in flooded areas, but at the same time tolerates drought well. Can be used for single landings near water bodies.

The shape of the crown is openwork, weeping, the leaves are green with a bluish tint, turn yellow in autumn. Purple colored flowers. The height depends on the height of the grafting site, but rarely exceeds 3 meters, while the crown diameter is 1.6 meters.

Willow purple Pendula.

Willow winding Sverdlovsk - frost-resistant, decorative tree with spiral, hanging branches. It is undemanding to the soil, but grows slowly, it is well formed by a haircut. Willow of this variety can be used for planting in hedges or in a single planting.

The shape of the crown is weeping, the leaves are green in summer and yellow in autumn, does not bloom. the maximum growth of the winding willow does not exceed 3 meters, and the diameter of the crown is 2 meters.

Whole-leaved willow Hakuro-nishiki is a sprawling shrub or small tree with an unusual color and hanging shoots. The variety does not differ in frost resistance, it is poorly suited for growing in the Russian climate. It grows well in moist soil, in a well-lit place.

Can be used as a single planting, or in combination with plants that have a dark green color. A lush bush is easy to form with a haircut.

The shape of the crown is round, the leaves are white-pink-green in spring and summer, turning pink in autumn. It blooms in April-May with yellow-green flowers. The height and diameter of the crown of this variety are within 2 meters.

Swiss willow is a spreading, dwarf variety. Slow growing, light-loving shrub. Feels good on fertile, loose, moist soil. The color goes well with coniferous trees.

The shape of the crown is round, the leaves are silvery in spring and summer, turning yellow in autumn. Spring flowers, golden. The height of the bush is 1 meter, with a crown diameter of 1.5 meters.

Swiss willow.

Willow of Babylon is a sprawling tree with thin and long branches hanging down to the ground. Branches of red, yellow or green hues. This variety is frost-resistant and unpretentious to growing conditions. Suitable for single landing on the shore of the reservoir.

The shape of the crown is round, the leaves are long, dark green above, and gray-green below. In autumn they turn yellow. It blooms with white-yellow flowers - earrings. The tree grows up to 10-12 meters, the crown can exceed these values.

Willow or holly willow is a shrub or tree with thin, flexible red branches, which is why the plant is popularly called krasnotal or red husk. The branches have a wax coating that is easily erased. It is frost-resistant, unpretentious, can grow near a reservoir on sandy soil.

The shape of the crown is oval, the leaves are long, shiny, green with a bluish tinge, turning yellow in autumn. Blooms in April with yellow pollen. Willow grows up to 8-10 meters in height, the crown is spreading - up to 3-4 meters in shrubs and up to 5-6 meters in trees.

Shaggy willow is an ornamental shrub or small tree with lush branches. Frost-resistant variety, grows well in damp fertile soil. Great for planting in the garden near small artificial ponds.

The shape of the crown is rounded, formed by a haircut. The leaves of the original species are elliptical, silver-green, turning yellow in autumn. Leaves and branches are covered with silky hairs. The flowers are yellow, spring, similar to vertically placed candles. Plant height 1.5-3 meters, crown diameter - 3-4 meters.

Creeping willow Armando is a small shrub with bare, flexible branches. This variety of willow is grown in the form of a trunk. It can be planted not only in the garden, but also indoors or on the balcony in a tub or container. Frost-resistant, loves moist soil and a lot of light. The tree can be used to decorate stone gardens, planted near small artificial reservoirs.

The crown is spreading, the leaves are dull green above and gray-green below, with shiny villi. Flowering occurs in spring, the inflorescences are fluffy, silvery and pinkish in color.

The bush does not exceed 1 meter in height, the diameter of the crown is 2-3 meters. Sometimes gardeners give the bush a standard shape.

Rosemary willow in Russia is known as netala, nicellose or Siberian willow. This is a low, spreading shrub with flexible shoots of red or purple. It grows slowly, on any soil, tolerates severe frosts and winds well. Suitable for planting among rocky hills.

The shape of the crown is spreading, the leaves are straight with a silky fluff. The color of the leaves is dark green on top and bluish from the inside. Blooms in May with numerous fragrant yellow or purple catkins. The height of the bush is 1 meter, the diameter of the crown is 3-4 meters.

Very common plants in the middle part of Russia. Most species of willows love moisture and settle in damp places, while relatively few species grow in dry places (on slopes, sands, etc.) and in swamps. Willow is also found in forests, as a mixture with other trees.

Appearance willows is very diverse: among them there are tall trees ( Salix alba, Salix fragilis, Salix caprea) and shrubs ( Salix viminalis, Salix daphnoides, Salix purpurea), sometimes quite small, squat, creeping along the ground ( Salix lapponica, Salix repens var. rosmarinifolia, Salix myrtilloides); in polar countries and on high mountains, in upland areas, even smaller dwarf willows grow, such as ( Salix herbacea, Salix reticulata), very small shrubs, not higher than 2.5 centimeters, and not exceeding the mosses, among which they grow.

Evolution and distribution

Willows appeared on Earth quite early, the prints of their leaves come across in the sediments of the Cretaceous formation.

Various types of willow are called: willow, willow, sheluga, willow (large trees and shrubs, mainly in the western regions of the European part of Russia); vine, vine (shrub species); tal, willow (mostly shrub species, in the eastern regions of the European part, in Siberia and Central Asia).

Due to the ability to give adventitious roots, willows are easily propagated by cuttings and even stakes (with the exception of Salix caprea- nonsense, or goat willow). Seeds lose their germination within a few days; only in the willow five-star ( Salix pentandra) seeds remain viable until next spring.

Botanical description

The foliage of some species of willows is dense, curly, Green colour, others have a more rare transparent, gray-green or gray-white color.

The botanical history of the willow begins in the 1st century. Pliny the Elder, author of the famous Natural History in 37 books, was the first scientist to describe eight types of willow.

Synonyms

• Pleiarina Raf., Alsogr. amer. . 1838.

Kinds

Some famous species:

Economic importance and application

Many species are decorative, for example: brittle willow ( Salix fragilis), basket willow ( Salix viminalis). Thanks to large catkins that bloom long before the leaves appear, and the reddish color of the bark with a wax coating, willow shoots are very decorative ( Salix acutifolia), which is why they break off in the mass in the spring.

Willow roots are characterized by abundant development and numerous branches and therefore are especially suitable for strengthening loose soils and sands (Shelyuga, Caspian willow). Willow breeding is successfully used in regulating mountain streams, fixing the banks of canals and rivers, slopes of dams (white willow, brittle willow), cliffs and slopes. In anti-erosion plantings in forest-steppe and steppe regions (white willow, brittle willow, willow twig), for field-protective and roadside forest belts on more humid soils, to delay the movement of volatile continental sands.

Willow wood is very light and soft, rots quickly, is used for many crafts and for the manufacture of wooden utensils.

The leafy branches of the willow are fed to animals, especially goats and sheep. Valuable honey plants.

The bark of many willows (for example, gray, goat, white) is used for tanning leather.

Branches of a young willow are used in the Orthodox tradition on Palm Sunday instead of palm leaves.

In treeless areas, willow is used as a building material.

Application in medicine

According to research by Nikitin (autumn) and Smirnov (spring), willow bark contains tannin: bredina - 12.12% and 6.43%, ashen - 10.91% and 5.31%, willows - 9.39% and 4.37%, willows - 9.39% and 4.68%, yellowwort - 9.39% and 4.62%). In terms of the content of vegetable glycoside - salicin - the bark of the yellowberry is the richest.

Many other willows are also of industrial importance as a source of "willow bark", including the three-stamen willow ( Salix triandra L.), five-starred willow ( Salix pentandra L.), eared willow ( Salix aurita L.), dewy willow ( Salix rorida Lacksch.), willow myrikoleaf ( Salix myrsinifolia Salisb.) and etc.

The leaves of some species contain salidroside, flavonoids, tannins. Of the flavonoids, luteolin derivatives, which have antiviral effects, predominate. IN medical practice use willow leaves ( Salix acutifolia Willd.) to obtain luteolin standard and luteolin-7-glucoside standard.

Willow bark has an antibiotic effect. In folk medicine, a decoction of the bark is used in the treatment of colds. The bark of some species contains the glycoside salicin, which has medicinal value. Willow bark extracts, due to the presence of salicylates, have an anti-inflammatory effect. Salicylic acid was first discovered in willow, hence its name.

Willow forestry

Of the many species and varieties of willows in forestry, the following deserve attention:

• white, willow, willow, willow ( Salix alba L., with variety Salix alba var. vitellina);
• brittle, willow, black ( Salix fragilis L., with variety Salix russeliana Sm.);
• basket, basket-maker, bodywork, belotal, verbaloz, vine, small-kitnik, talazhchanik ( Salix viminalis L., with variety Salix molissima);
• almond-leaved, willow, krasnoloz, tala, willow ( Salix amygdalina L., Salix triandra L.);
• yellow vine, willow vine, talnik ( Salix purpurea L., Salix helix Koch, with varieties Salix lambertiana And Salix uralensis);
• shelyuga, verbalosis (Khark.), reddish ( Salix acutifolia Wild., Salix caspica);
• loholist ( Salix hyppofaefolia, Salix viminalis × Salix amygdalina);
• Roman ( Salix smithiana, Salix capraea × Salix viminalis)
• mix: Salix purpurea × Salix viminalis.

Although willows grow on all soils, deep loam or sandy loam, loose and moderately moist, are more suitable for them. The most demanding on the soil Salix viminalis; shelyuga prefers light sandy soil, and on peat soil grow successfully Salix purpurea And Salix alba; stagnation of water in the soil adversely affects the growth of willows. When laying "willows", or "willow thickets", the soil is cultivated in autumn to a depth of 30-80 cm, depending on its fertility and dryness, so that the upper plant layer is turned down, which is achieved by manual processing of 1-3 bayonets with a shovel, or carrying out furrows with two plows going one after the other, with a soil subsoiler. Planting is done in spring by cuttings - parts of one-year-old twigs, 25-30 cm long, cut in autumn and kept until spring in the cellar. The cuttings are placed in rows running from the southeast to the northwest, with a distance between them of 30-40 cm and in a row of 10-20 cm, which will be from 125,000 to 333,333 cuttings per hectare, while loose soil they are stuck directly by hand, and on a dense one - into a hole made by an iron rod, flush with the surface of the soil, without leaving the tip of the cutting outside. But when breeding some willows, for example, when laying “sheluga” on loose sands, they directly put the branches of the shelyuga into the plow furrows, one after the other, covering them with a layer of sand raised during the next furrow. In the same way, for a topless economy, willows are bred with stakes - 2-3 arshins in length and 1-3 inches in thickness, 1/3 of the length stuck into the soil.

In accordance with the distribution of willows in a given area, plantings are distinguished:

• solid, or field, when the entire area is allocated for it, except for ditches and roads;
• ordinary, very different kind: A) intermittent- stripes, 1-3 m wide, alternating with fields or vineyards; b) garden- on bogs and peat bogs, when willows are grown on ridges formed between ditches by earth taken out of the latter; V) ditch- in which rods bent by a ring are stuck with their ends into the walls of a ditch, etc.
• nesting, used to strengthen slopes, slopes, river banks, etc., consisting in planting several cuttings on a site of spiked soil, in a group, or in laying them out along the walls of a pit, then covered with earth, or in a room with two rods, curved in arcs and intersecting among themselves into a hole made by a stake, and so on.

Willow care consists in manually loosening the soil between rows, removing weeds, hilling stumps with earth, and even fertilizing the soil - Peruvian guano, Strassfurt salts or compost that has lain for a year. Adversely affect the management of willows: hail, late spring frosts, grazing.

Selection

Weeping willows, especially man-made ones, are one of the most confusing groups of plants. Weeping willows most adapted to harsh conditions are hybrids between Babylon willow ( Salix babylonica), white ( Salix alba), brittle ( Salix fragilis) and lovely ( Salix x blanda). Many of these hybrids also suffer from low temperatures. But it is impossible to establish which ones, based on the name, since their nomenclature is hopelessly confused. There can be different hybrids under the same name, and vice versa. In addition, there are no reliable signs by which they can be identified. Wishes are expressed to abandon the old names of cultivars and give new, well-documented ones. In Russia, V. I. Shaburov was engaged in the selection of frost-resistant willows. He is the author of more than two dozen interesting and promising winding, undersized and weeping varieties.

Folk omens

Notes

1. For the conditionality of indicating the class of dicotyledons as a parent taxon for the group of plants described in this article, see the section "APG Systems" of the article "Dicotyledons".
2. Information about the genus Salix(English) in the database Index Nominum Genericorum International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT).
3. Talnik // Strunino - Tikhoretsk. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1976. - (