What is the latest information on willows?

Willow is a general term for a class of plants, also known as water willow, weeping willow, Qingming willow, etc. Willow planting in China has a history of more than 4,000 years, which can be traced back to the ancient Shu Yu Fu Wang tree boundary, in spring is also the most charming, the most "chic" trees, but also for thousands of years poets and writers praise one of the themes, let's take a look at the willow information what it!

Morphological Characteristics of Willow

Willow branches slender and drooping, brownish green, glabrous, winter buds linear, densely attached to branches. Leaves alternate, linear lanceolate, margin with glandular serrations, surface thick green, back green gray, both sides are smooth without hair, with stipules. Annual 4~5 months of flowering, flowers after the leaves, male inflorescences for catkins, short peduncle, slightly curved. The fruit is a capsule, 2-valved after maturity, containing many seeds with a tuft of wool.

Growth Habits of Willow

Willow belongs to wide ecological range plant, adaptability to the environment is very wide, for light-loving, wet-loving, cold-resistant mid-life wet tree species, but some species are also drought and saline-alkali tolerance, in the ecological conditions are worse, in the field of superior site conditions, better growth, general life span of 20~30 years, a few species can reach more than 100 years, a long growth period in a year, germination early, late deciduous, individual species in the south are evergreen trees.

Geographical distribution of willow

Willow suitable for a variety of ecological environment, regardless of mountains, plains, sand dunes, polar willow growth, mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Salix is native to the plains of north, northeast and northwest China. Willow throughout China, Europe, Asia, America, many countries have introduced. Salix americana, Salix rotundus, Salix longistylis, Salix white-skinned, Salix large-white, Salix tenuistylis, Salix sylvestris, etc. are mostly produced in Northeast China, Korea, Japan and the Far East of Russia. Willow firecrackers originated in Europe, Northeast China has introduced. White willow is produced in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and Xizang in China, Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Afghanistan, Russia and Europe. Salix gland produced in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River basin and southern Liaoning Province, Korea, Japan also have. Yunnan Salix is native to Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan in China. Purple willow is grown in the lower yangtze river basin of china. Salix macrophylla is grown in Sichuan Province, China. Cotton willow is introduced in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities in China.

Willow propagation method

Willow commonly used cuttage propagation, can maintain the excellent characteristics of the mother tree, mainly cuttage propagation, but also seeding seedlings. Cuttings are carried out in early spring, excellent plants with fast growth and few diseases and insect pests are selected as mother trees for picking strips, branches of 2~3 years old are cut before germination, cut into 15~17 cm long cuttings, the plant spacing is 20×30 cm, and the cuttings are inserted directly, watered sufficiently after insertion, the soil is kept moist frequently, buds are wiped and weeded in time, topdressing is applied for 3~4 times after rooting, and the seedlings are easily damaged by weevil, aphid and willow beetle. Sowing seedlings in April to harvest seeds, as soon as the harvest sowing. The seed weight is 0.4g, the germination rate is 70~80%, the planting area is about 0.25kg, and the seedling height of the current year is 80~ 100cm. Transplantation should be carried out after defoliation in winter and before germination in early spring of the following year. After planting, water should be fully watered and props should be erected.

Medicinal Value of Willow

1. Willow flower: Willow flower is also named willow seed. It is cool and soft. It can be used as pillow to calm the nerves and hypnotize people. If willow flower is ground into fine powder, it can treat jaundice, hemoptysis, hematochezia and female amenorrhea. It can also be used externally to treat toothache.

2. Willow leaves: willow leaves are the same as catkins. They are rich in tannins. They have the functions of clearing away heat and detoxifying, removing dampness and swelling. They can be decocted in water to treat upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, cystitis, mumps and pharyngitis. Mashed external application can treat heel pain.

3. Willow branches: Willow branches are traditional Chinese medicine bone-setting medicine. They can be decocted with water to treat coronary heart disease, chronic bronchitis, urinary tract infection, burns and scalds, etc. They can be decocted and fumigated with water to have obvious curative effect on rheumatic and rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Willow root: Willow root can dispel wind and dampness, reduce swelling and relieve pain. It can treat breast carbuncle, toothache, otitis media, jaundice and other diseases. It is better to expel wind, reduce swelling and relieve pain by drinking wine.

5. Willow skin: Willow skin can remove phlegm and improve eyesight, clear away heat and dispel wind. Fumigation and washing with water can also treat scabies.

6. Willow dust: Willow dust is the moth-eaten dust in willow worm-eaten holes. It can be used to treat prurigo and dermatitis by boiling water for bath or frying hot cloth for warm ironing.