Willow

Origin: All continents except Australia

Family: Salicaceae
Subfamily: Salicoideae
Tribe: Saliceae
Scientific Name: Salix spp.

Folk Names: Osier (narrow-leaved varieties), saille, sallow (broader-leaved varieties), sally tree, saugh tree, tree of enchantment, withe, withy tree

Magical

Element: Water
Day: Monday
Planet: Moon
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent
Zodiac: Cancer
Ogham: Saille
Deities: Apollo, Arianrohd, Artemis, Astarte, Belil, Belinua, Ceres, Ceridwen, Circe, Daghdha, Demeter, Diana, the Green Man, Hekate, Hera, Hermes, Mercury, Orpheus, Osiris, Persephone, Pluto, Rhiannon

Parts used: Wood, bark, leaves

Magical Properties: Healing, love, wishes, protection, divination, intuition, purification

Substitutions: Sheoak

Lore

• Willow was used medicinally in ancient Assyria, Sumer, Egypt, Greece (noted by Hippocrates), and Rome.
• The Khemarant willow was considered sacred to Osiris; after being slain and resurrected, it was thought to contain his body. It was also included in 3 remedies in the Ebers Papyrus.
• The seven noble sacred trees of the grove particularized in a seventh-century poem appended to the ancient Irish Law Crith Gablach were: Birch, Alder, Willow, Oak, Holly, Hazel, Apple.*
• Eighth-century Irish Law Bretha Comaithchesa lists the Willow as one of the eight ‘peasant’ trees, along with Birch, Quicken (Rowan), Ash, Whitethorn, Whin (Furze/Gorse), and Apple.
• In English folklore, willows are believed to be quite sinister - they are capable of uprooting themselves to stalk travellers.
• There are also folk tales and associations of willows in Judaism, Buddhism, and many East Asian countries.

Magical Uses

• Carry willow leaves to attract love.
• A witches' besom is often bound with willow.
• Carry or place willow leaves, bark, flowers, roots, or branchess to ward off negative energies.
• Always approach willows in a respectful manner (as some can be cruel and wicked if they feel disrespected).

Medicinal

Although used medicinally by Indigenous groups, willow’s salicylic acid wasn’t discovered to have analgesic properties in Western science until the mid-late 1800s.

Medicinal Properties:

• Analgesic
• Antiperiodic
• Astringent
• Tonic

Active Constituents: Salicylic acid (the primary ingredient in asprin).

Practical

Willow wood is valuable for use in furniture, basketry, cabinet-making, toys, pulpwood, and more.

Willows can help to prevent soil erosion, and to purify the bodies of water it grows near.

Indigenous Uses:

• Indigenous people in the Americas use the bark to make twine;
• Wood is used to start fires by friction;
• Shoots used to weave baskets;
• Branches and stems as construction meterial for various items, including fishing wiers.

Botanical

There are around 350 species of willow/Salix (which frequently hybridise), with species native to every continent but Australasia.

Type: Trees & shrubs
Plant Height: 6cm to over 30m
Bark: Contains abundant, watery sap
Leaves: Typically elongated, simple, and usually dropping in winter
Flowers: Male and female catkins on separate plants, usually before leaves

Etymology: Salix was the Latin/Roman name for willows, with roots in proto-Celtic sallis (‘near water’).

In the Garden

Type: Deciduous trees/shrubs
Light: Full sun
Water: Keep moist
Soil: Deep, moist, but well-drained

Tips:

• Avoid planting near a house, as willows' root systems are prone to invading drains & plumbing infrastructure.
• Willows are readily propogated from cuttings.
• Respond well to hard pruning and coppicing.

References:

Whewell, Tim (2019, 18 September); Is Nutella made with nuts picked by children?; BBC News