DIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. Salix. 
77 
Common White Willow. (Welsh: Helygen wen. Gaelic: Saileach. E.) 
Woods, hedge-rows, and wet meadow and pasture land. T. April. 
(Var. 1. Differing in the greater luxuriance, and more blue hue of the 
foliage, and the almost entire destitution of hairs from the under side of 
the adult leaves. 
E. Bot. 2431. 
Remarkable for the rapidity of its growth.t 
This may probably be the glaucous” var. observed by the Rev. Hugh 
Davies, on Dinam Demesne, Anglesey. E.) S. alba . var. FI. Brit. 
Hook. Grev. S. ccerulea. E. Bot. 
one foot long,) in March. Thp second summer, the shoots, although of little value, 
must be trimmed off; but the third summer they will produce marketable ware, and 
will increase in quantity and value till the profits arising from them be almost incredi¬ 
ble. In situations which the Osier affects, and in countries where the twigs are in 
demand, Osier grounds have been knowm to pay an annual rent of ten pounds an acre. 
Under ordinary^ circumstances they will, if properly managed, pay about half that 
sum. A variety called Velvet Osier, (differing from the foreign one it would appear,) is 
still more highly esteemed for the pliability of its twigs. From the interesting observa¬ 
tions of Mr. Curtis (Linn. Tr. v. i.) relative to the depredations of Curculio Lapathi, 
and Silpha grisea, on this species of Willow, it appears that the former penetrates into 
the substance of the trunk by excavating cylindrical cavities, which also afford the more 
ready admission to the latter. Hence even the most casual crack or crevice becomes 
worthy of attention, as facilitating such procedure, for if the larvae have once entered 
the tree we shall in vain seek a remedy. As a preventive, whenever injury may have 
arisen from lopping, or other cause, it may be prudent to apply canvas with some 
adhesive substance: or brushing over with coal or gas tar, especially during June or 
July, when the moth comes out of its chrysalis. E.) 
* It prefers a moist and open situation ; grows quickly, and bears lopping. The 
wood is very white, and therefore preferred for making milk pails and butter firkins, 
(and its chips for Willow bonnets. E.) It is also used for flooring, for chests, and for 
boxes. It is light, tough, and pliable. The Rev. Mr. Stone, in Phil. Trans, liii. 
p. 195, gives an account of the great efficacy of the bark of this tree in curing inter¬ 
mitting fevers. He gathers the bark in summer, when it is full of sap, dries it by a 
gentle heat, and gives a dram of it powdered every four hours between the fits. In a 
few obstinate cases he mixed it with one-fifth part of Peruvian bark. (It is remark¬ 
able that this tree grows naturally where intermittents are most prevalent, and thus 
does Nature, by a wise and tender provision, place bane and antidote in contiguity. 
E.) Whilst Peruvian bark remained at a moderate price, it was hardly worth while "to 
seek for a substitute; but now its price is more than doubled, and the supply from 
South America hardly equal to the consumption, w'e may expect to find it dearer and 
more adulterated every year. The White Willow bark is, therefore, likely to 
become an object of attention to physicians, and if its success upon a more enlarged 
scale of practice prove equal to Mr. Stone’s experience, the public will be much in¬ 
debted to that gentleman for his communication. The bark of S. triandra and fragilis 
possesses the same properties. A series of experiments should be instituted to ascertain 
' which of the species is preferable. This bark will tan leather, (and a decoction dyes 
yarn of a cinnamon colour. E.) Horses, cows, sheep, and goats eat the leaves and 
young shoots. Whoever desires to shade a walk with willows, should set barren 
plants only, or they will soon multiply so as to form a thicket instead of a walk. The 
same observation is applicable to poplar. Bees are fond of the flowers. (The Abbot’s 
Willow, at Bury St. Edmond’s, of this species (said to have existed at the period of 
the dissolution of the monastery), measures in height seventy-five feet, girth eighteen 
feet six inches, and contains of timber 440cubic feet. Yid. Strutt’s Sylva Britannica. E.) 
t (Prof. Hooker records a cutting planted at Norwich, which in ten years became a 
tree of thirty feet in height, And five feet two inches in girth. Sir J. E. Smith states, 
“ The superior value of the wood and bark, the rapid growth, as well as handsome 
aspect of the tree, its silvery blue colour, its easy propagation and culture, in dry as well 
as wet situations, all render it decidedly superior to our common White Willow.” E.) 
