What is the information about willows?

Willow is the general name of a kind of plant, also known as water willow, weeping willow, Qingming willow, and so on. The history of planting willow in China has been more than 4,000 years, which can be traced back to the time when the king of Shuyufu sealed the tree. It is also one of the most charming and "chic" trees in spring. It is also one of the themes celebrated by poets and writers for thousands of years. Let's take a look at the materials of willow trees.

Morphological characteristics of Willow

The willow branches are slender and drooping, brownish green, glabrous, and the winter buds are linear and densely attached to the branches. Leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate, margin glandular serrate, surface dark green, back green grayish white, both sides smooth glabrous, with stipules. The flowers bloom from April to May each year, blooming behind the leaves, and the male inflorescence is a catkin with a short pedicel and slightly curved. The fruit is a capsule, 2-valved after maturity, containing many seeds with a clump of woolly hairs on the seeds.

Growth habits of Willow

Willow belongs to a wide ecological range of plants, which has a wide adaptability to the environment, and is a mesophytic and humid tree species that likes light, humidity and cold, but some species are also more tolerant to drought and saline-alkali, and can grow in places with poor ecological conditions. they grow better in the plains and fertile fields with superior site conditions, with a general life span of 20 to 30 years, a few species can reach more than 100 years, a long growth period in a year, early germination and late defoliation, and some species in the south are evergreen trees.

Geographical distribution of willow

Willow is suitable for a variety of ecological environments, no matter high mountains, plains, sand dunes, polar regions have willow growth, mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The dry willow is native to the plains of North, Northeast and Northwest China. Weeping willows are introduced all over China and are introduced in many countries in Europe, Asia and America. Korea weeping willow, round head willow, Changzhu willow, white willow, big white willow, fine column willow, Qi willow and so on are mostly found in northeast China, as well as in Korea, Japan and the Russian far East. Firecracker willow is native to Europe and is introduced in northeast China. White willow is produced in China, Gansu, Qinghai and Xizang, Iran, Pakistan, northern India, Afghanistan, Russia and Europe. Glandular willow produces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and southern Liaoning Province, as well as in Korea and Japan. Yunnan willow is native to Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan of China. Purple willow is produced in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. The big leaf willow is produced in Sichuan Province of China. Cotton willow has been introduced in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities in China.

Propagation methods of Willow

Willow cutting propagation is commonly used, which can maintain the excellent characteristics of the mother tree, mainly cutting propagation, but also sowing and raising seedlings. The cuttings were carried out in early spring, and the excellent plants with fast growth and few diseases and insect pests were selected as the mother tree. 2-3-year-old branches were cut before sprouting and cut into 15-17 cm as cuttings. The plant spacing was 20 × 30 cm and fully watered after cutting. often keep the soil moist, wipe sprouts and weeds in time, and apply topdressing 3 times after rooting, the seedlings are vulnerable to weevil, aphid and willow leaf beetle. The seeds were harvested in April and sowed as they were picked. The weight of a thousand seeds is 0.4 grams, the germination rate is 70% 80%, the sowing weight is about 0.25 kg per mu, and the height of the seedlings is 80 cm 100 cm in the same year. The transplant should be carried out from the defoliation in winter to the bud in the early spring of the following year, and the pillars should be fully watered and supported after planting.

The medicinal value of willow

1. Willow flower: the willow flower, also known as willow, is cool and soft, and it can be used as a pillow core to calm the mind and hypnosis. if the willow flower is carefully studied, it can treat jaundice, hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematochezia and women's amenorrhea, and external use can also treat toothache.

2. Willow leaves: Willow leaves are rich in tannins, which are rich in tannins, which can clear heat and detoxify, benefit dampness and detumescence. Water decoction can treat upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, cystitis, mumps, pharyngitis and external application can treat heel pain.

3. Willow twig: Willow twig is a traditional bone-healing medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. It can be used to treat coronary heart disease, chronic bronchitis, urinary tract infection, burn and scald, etc., and has obvious curative effect on rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Willow root: willow root can dispel wind and dampness, relieve swelling and pain, and can treat breast carbuncle, toothache, otitis media, jaundice and other diseases.

5. Willow bark: Willow bark can remove phlegm, clear eyes, clear heat and dispel wind, water fumigation and washing can also treat scabies stubborn disease.

6. Willow crumbs: willow chips are the decay chips in willow moth worms. frying water for bath or fried hot cloth for warm ironing can treat prurigo and dermatitis.