In our climate zone, the Salix willow was already growing 12 thousand. years BC in the form of a small shrub. From ancient times it enjoyed great interest.Due to the ease of reproduction, both vegetative (from twigs) and generative (from seeds), willow was considered a symbol of fertility in pagan beliefs.In the Christian religion, she also quickly found a worthy place for herself. And so today, on Easter, palms are made of willow twigs decorated with large catkins. It was customary to swallow the base of the blessed palms to ensure he alth and strength.
About 350 species of willow are known.There are 28 species in Poland. They naturally grow in the Northern Hemisphere.They are sparse in South America. Many species are resistant to the harsh climatic conditions prevailing in the far North and high in the mountains.Plants growing there are usually low, creeping shrubs. Due to the ease of reproduction, species cross without any problems, creating numerous hybrids, often difficult to recognize.
Willows grow in the form of trees, shrubs and shrubs. These are plants with leaves that fall for the winter, very rarely evergreen. Depending on the species, the leaves range in shape from lanceolate, through elliptical, to almost circular. Willows are dioecious: one specimen has male flowers and another female flowers. Male individuals are ornamental.Big (cat) kittens appear in front of the leaves.
Willows are valuable honey plants, especially early flowering species provide bees with large amounts of nectar and pollen.All willows are photophilous.Due to their species diversity and other places of origin, these plants have different soil requirements: from dry sandy soils to fertile, always moist habitats.
Willows, apart from their decorative qualities, have other interesting applications. Numerous bushy willows, such as the laurel willow Salix daphnoides or the holm willow Salix acutifolia, are used in protective tree stands to protect dunes, embankments, dikes and slopes. Salix purpurea purple willow and Salix viminalis flagellum willow are, in turn, irreplaceable in wicker (they are the so-called basket willows).
For several years, willow has also been appreciated as an energy material, especially the basket willow.Willows are used as biological sewage and water treatment plants because they absorb heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.In the herbal industry, willow bark extracts salicylic acid and tannin, which have antipyretic and diaphoretic properties.For decorative purposes, many species and hybrids of willow are cultivated, distinguished by colorful bark, large silvery catkins, interesting foliage and impressive habit.
White willow Salix alba or short willow Salix fragilis are a characteristic picturesque element of the Polish landscape, especially of the Masovian countryside.These plants can be found mainly along roads, along ditches, in meadows.Unfortunately, willows have traditionally been drastically topped for centuries in spring (which means that they live much shorter). This procedure is nothing but plant mutilation. It is worth remembering that willows are attacked by microorganisms that break down soft wood in a short time.
