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Common Name: Tealeaf Willow

General Information

Salix pulchra is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It has edible and medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. Europe. N. Asia. Northern N. America.

Habitat

Stream banks, lake sides, open woods etc in north-western N. America[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 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[].
Considered to be part of S. phylicifolia by some botanists[].
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[].
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

Inner bark - raw or cooked[, ]. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups or can be added to cereal flour for use in making bread etc. A very bitter flavour, it is a famine food that is only used when all else fails[].
Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked[]. They are not very palatable[]. The leaves and shoots can be eaten with oil to make them more palatable[]. A good source of vitamin C, they are one of the first new leaves to be produced in the spring[]. The leaves can be added to soups or eaten in mixed salads[].
Catkins[]. No more details are given.
The dried leaves have been used to make a tea[].

Medicinal

An infusion of the leaves and bark has been used as an anaesthetic[].The bark and the leaves have been chewed to numb the mouth and throat[]. They have also been chewed as a treatment for mouth sores and are said to make the mouth smell good[].
The cottony seed floss has been used to dry moist eyes[].
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

None known

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. Very easy. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, early summer to August in a frame. Very easy.