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Common Name: Eared Sallow

General Information

Salix aurita is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 2.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Portugal, Black Sea, Crimea and Macedonia.

Habitat

Damp woods, heaths, rocks by streams and on moors etc, on light acid or slightly basic soils, to 780 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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[].
Thriving in the most adverse conditions, it is a useful plant for populating dry barren sites[].
Closely related to S. caprea and S. cinerea[].
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[].
When inhaled near to, a scent of white jasmine can be discerned from the flowers[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin[], which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body[]. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge[].

Other Uses

Plants have an extensive root system and are used to stabilize waste tips and old slag heaps[].
The seeds are very light and so can travel some distance in the wind. The plant is therefore able to find its way to areas such as cleared woodland where the soil has been disturbed. Seedlings will grow away quickly, even in exposed conditions and the plant will provide good shelter for the establishment of woodland plants. Thus it makes a good pioneer species and, except in wetter and moorland-type soils, will eventually be largely out-competed by the other woodland trees. Its main disadvantage as a pioneer plant is that it has an extensive root system and is quite a greedy plant, thus it will not help as much in enriching the soil for the other woodland plants as other pioneer species such as the alders, Alnus species[].

Propagation

Seed - must be surface sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring. It has a very short viability, perhaps as little as a few days.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted straight into their permanent position and given a good weed-suppressing mulch. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, early summer to August in a frame.