When setting up a garden or a small park, each person thinks about which trees are better to choose. A beautiful decoration will be a willow. 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 spread
Today, many people know what the willow looks like. Photo tree is easy to find. And these plants appeared many years ago. Archaeologists have discovered imprints of willow leaves in sediments that belong to the Cretaceous period.
Some members of the family are found even beyond the Arctic Circle. Sizes range from trees with a trunk of fifteen meters to small shrubs. In nature, a huge number of willows, some are more common, others are not so famous.
Sheluga, rakita, willow, twigs, vines, tal - all these are trees and shrubs that belong to the same family - Willow trees.
A detailed study of willow
People study nature constantly. Natural knowledge helps to survive. When collecting plants for food, you should understand what is dangerous and where useful elements are hidden.
The first descriptions of willow are found in the first century. Pliny the Elder in his books described more than five species. With the development of science, people are increasingly learning about wildlife and are trying to classify everything. Scientists have always been interested in willow. The tree, whose species many years ago were not so numerous (more than two dozen), created a series of disputes between Linnaeus and Scopoli.
The study of the family was carried out in Russia. It was the Soviet scientist Skvortsov who collected and ordered all the available data on the trees, carried out the typification and selected the corresponding names, allocated subspecies.
However, their huge diversity to this day causes controversy and various opinions in the scientific community. Some countries even have their own schools to study these trees. A huge variety of shapes and colors is the willow. A tree photo is most often weeping types located on the banks of rivers or lakes. Probably because these plants look especially bright and inspired.
Representatives of these plants can be observed in the botanical gardens of England and Paris.
The willow family
Three trees: poplar, willow and chosenia. What unites them? All of them are members of the Willow family and together comprise more than four hundred species. The main part grows in regions with a temperate climate, but there are plants that have reached the tropics, which indicates a variety of possible cultivation options. There are trees from the family growing in Africa.
These trees love light and moisture, but to varying degrees. Many are able to endure life in conditions with a lack of water. If we talk about poplars, then they are represented only by trees. Tall and sturdy trunks with lush crowns.
But willow, tree or shrub? It can be a tree with a huge tall trunk or a lush shrub, a small sprawling plant. But the smallest species (from the Arctic and the Alps) still did not become herbs.
Willow can be found on the banks of the river. This is one of the best places for wood - a lot of moisture and sun. In this case, individual specimens can be found on slopes, sands, swamps and in the forest (as a mixture of other trees).
Three genera of willow
Poplars can be considered the most primitive representative of the family. Although in some areas they are found at almost every step. They are of great importance to humans. Due to their natural growth rate and unpretentious nature, they become an excellent source of wood.
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. Aging, they dry up and decay or are replaced by other species. It is difficult enough to reproduce, so they do not have a large distribution.
Willow - a tree, which is the most diverse family of the family. You can meet him in any geographical location. It is divided into three subgenera: Salix, Vetrix and Chamaetia. Each of them has its own characteristics and many 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 or large. Leaves are whitish with a silver 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, bearing the name fragile, comes from. A torn branch of such a tree takes root well. Thanks to this, the species spread far beyond its homeland - this tree can be found in many parts of Europe.
Pyatichytinka willow is interesting for its external characteristics. She has beautiful foliage, as if covered in gloss. The last of all representatives of a kind blooms, and only at the end of a warm pore its seeds ripen. Throughout autumn and winter, dry hanging catkins adorn the tree.
Vetriks and Hamitea
Together, these two subspecies include more than three hundred representatives. The willow tree described below is found in forest zones with moderate climatic conditions and belongs to the subspecies of the vetriks (goat willow or delirium). It has large sprawling branches and a smooth trunk. It tolerates transplanting under various conditions, therefore it is quite popular with gardeners. The subspecies vetriks is a willow, tree or shrub of a sufficiently large growth. In addition, representatives differ in the structure of the buds, early flowering and shoots with missing or underdeveloped foliage.
The group of chametea includes mostly undersized shrubs, some of which are creeping. Earrings are located at the very end of the deciduous shoot. Seeds ripen late enough. In the forest-tundra, the blue-willow is most often seen. Interesting grow polar and grassy. Their trunk is deeply immersed in soil or moss, and only thin branches with foliage come out.
The most common representatives
In Europe, Russia, Central Asia on the slopes, edges and in the forests you can meet willow goat.
This ten meter tall plant has a rounded and dense crown. It 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 a graceful tree. Standing on the shore, she still sheds tears, recalling the loss.
Application
A distinctive feature of willow, which is actively used by all mankind, can be considered a well-developed root system. Usually it covers a large space, has many branches. Thanks to this excellent soil retention. It is used for:
consolidation of loose rocks;
river regulation in mountainous terrain;
strengthening the banks of canals and in places of dams;
strengthening sharp sloping slopes;
prevent erosion in the steppes;
sand retention in places with high humidity.
Wood is suitable as a material for crafts; it is quite soft and light. Residential buildings are being built from willow in some areas. Some animals like to feast on foliage. Willow - a tree that is considered an excellent honey plant, bees willingly visit it to collect nectar.
Bark is used in leather tanning. A variety of weaving is 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 widespread distribution and diverse applications.
Trees of all types have beneficial substances in their composition. Goats, fragile willows and some other representatives are especially rich in them.
Bark-based drugs help with inflammation, soothe pain, increase blood coagulation, and reduce urine output.
After conducting clinical studies, the effectiveness of willow was established during the treatment of hypertension.
People suffering from tachycardia and neurosis can take a decoction or tinctures based on inflorescences.
From ancient times it was believed that it has the magical properties of willow. What tree is used in Christian rites? Willow belonging to the willow family. Earlier, she attributed the strongest healing properties. It was believed that by swallowing a kidney, you can get rid of fever and other diseases.
Broths are used externally or drink - depending on the problem. For example, they rinse their mouth with inflammation and make a bath with strong sweat.
Breeding
People engaged in weaving from the vine, have certain difficulties in finding materials. Therefore, many think about breeding their own small plantation.
For good growth, you should choose a lit and fairly humid place. It is best that the chemical composition of the soil is acidic.
You can grow a new tree using seeds or cuttings. So that they take root and give good shoots, you should carefully consider the choice of parts for germination. It is best to use a handle that is located at the very bottom of the trunk. This part is called a comel.
Willow is a tree 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.