Salix alba

Salix alba in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats

T. Houston Durrant, D. de Rigo, G. Caudullo
Salix alba L., known as white willow, is one of the largest and most well-known willows. Its common name comes from
its distinctive pale silvery leaves. It is one of the species of willows cultivated as osiers, characterised by having pliable
branches and narrow-leaves. It has a wide distribution, ranging from Europe through central Russia up to the Chinese
borders. This fast-growing willow occurs in temperate climates, and tolerates a wide variety of soils, provided roots have
access to water.
Salix alba L. (white willow) is a fast-growing dioecious
broadleaved tree. It is one of the largest of the willow species
Frequency
and can reach heights of up to 30 m and a diameter of 1 m or < 25%

more1 . It is not long lived: usually surviving only 20-30 years2 . 25% - 50%
50% - 75%
The deeply fissured bark is dark grey with corky ridges. The leaves > 75%
Chorology
are long and narrow (lanceolate), silver-grey on the top side and Native
with dense silky white hairs on the underside, giving the tree a
distinctive pale appearance3, 4 . The yellow male catkins are up
to 5 cm long; the female ones are shorter and greenish-yellow,
becoming fluffy white, and attract pollinating insects3, 3 .

Map 1: Plot distribution and simplified chorology map for Salix alba.
Frequency of Salix alba occurrences within the field observations as reported
by the National Forest Inventories. The chorology of the native spatial range
White willow in a riparian forest near Bingen (Rhineland-Palatinate,
for S. alba is derived after Meusel and Jäger, and Skvortsov20, 21 .
West Germany).
(Copyright Willow, commons.wikimedia.org: CC-BY)

Habitat and Ecology areas in Europe with high erosion rates, in particular in moist
The white willow is a riparian species of temperate climates, slopes with high drainage-area within the European mountain
with mild winters, warm summers with short drought periods1 . It systems9 . In these critical areas, the white willow contributes to
typically grows near water on the banks of rivers and lakes or by mitigate erosion, and more generally it is also useful for erosion
ponds, streams, wet hollows and ditches5 . It occurs from sea level control and stabilising the banks of waterways, as well as for
to 2 400 m in the most southerly parts of its range1 . It tolerates a ecosystem restoration and phytoremediation10-12 .
wide variety of soil types, preferring sandy, silty or calcareous soils,
but the roots need access to water. It is strongly light-demanding
Threats and Diseases
and does not tolerate shade. It can be pollarded or coppiced and can This species is particularly susceptible to watermark disease,
readily reproduce from suckers or from adventitious roots6 . Adults caused by the bacterium Erwinia salicis13, 14 . Diseased trees suffer
of white willow are noticeably tolerant to inundation, performing from wilting, withering, and browning of leaves and tips of new
better even in comparison with flood-tolerant taxa such as Ulmus shoots, followed by die-back of affected branches and eventually
laevis, Ulmus minor and Quercus robur7. the death of the tree. Wood from affected trees becomes brittle
Silver-grey lanceolate leaves with hairy upper side. and unsuitable for use. The white willow is also attacked by the
(Copyright Rosendahl, commons.wikimedia.org: PD)
Importance and Usage Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), despite
The timber of white willow has a number of commercial uses. showing noticeable resistance and thus potentially acting
Distribution These include wooden kitchen utensils, archery bows, hoops, wicker as overwintering reservoir of the beetle15-17. It suffers from
The white willow is widely distributed throughout Europe baskets, canoes, and some construction use (e.g. log cabins)1 . The occasional but severe outbreaks of the gypsy moth (Lymantria
except in the northern regions, though Asia Minor and central variety Salix alba var. caerulea is known as cricket bat willow, dispar)15, 18, 19 . Furthermore, it is susceptible to Phytobia barnesi,
Russia to Chinese borders. In the west at its southernmost extent as its timber is particularly suited for this purpose8 . There are a which impairs the wood quality, and to the defoliators Porthetria
it can be found around the Mediterranean basin, including North number of non-wood products, including tannin from the bark and obfuscate and Yponomeuta rorella17.
Africa (Morocco and Algeria). In the north its range includes the salycin (from which aspirin was produced), but these generally
British Isles, the Netherlands and the eastern Baltic coast (Latvia have little commercial importance now2 . A number of cultivars References
and Lithuania). Its natural range is difficult to determine as it has with attractive stem colours have been bred for ornamental [1] J. G. Isebrands, J. Richardson, Poplars [14] J. G. Turner, J. M. L. Davis, K. Guven,
and willows: trees for society and the Proceedings of the Royal Society of
been extensively cultivated1, 2 . purposes. The white willow distribution range overlaps with many environment (CABI ; FAO, 2014). Edinburgh. Section B. Biological Sciences
[2] A. Praciak, et al., The CABI encyclopedia of 98, 105 (1992).
forest trees (CABI, Oxfordshire, UK, 2013). [15] D. de Rigo, et al., Scientific Topics Focus 2,
[3] A. F. Mitchell, P. Dahlstrom, E. Sunesen, mri10a15+ (2016).
C. Darter, A field guide to the trees of [16] M. Faccoli, R. Favaro, M. T. Smith, J. Wu,
Britain and northern Europe (Collins, 1974). Agricultural and Forest Entomology 17,
[4] O. Johnson, D. More, Collins tree guide 188 (2015).
(Collins, 2006). [17] V. de Tillesse, L. Nef, J. Charles, A. Hopkin,
[5] R. V. Lansdown, The IUCN Red List S. Augustin, Damaging poplar Insects
of Threatened Species (2014), pp. - Internationally important species
203465/0+. (International Poplar Commission, FAO,
Rome, 2007).
[6] H. Koop, Vegetatio 72, 103 (1987).
[18] G. Camerini, Bulletin of Insectology 62,
[7] A. Schnitzler, The Botanical Review 63, 21 (2009).
40 (1997).
[19] M. J. Lechowicz, Y. Mauffette, Revue
[8] J. Wilkinson, Annals of Botany 5 (1941). d’Entomologie du Quebec 31, 43 (1986).
[9] C. Bosco, D. de Rigo, O. Dewitte, J. Poesen, [20] H. Meusel, E. Jäger, eds., Vergleichende
P. Panagos, Natural Hazards and Earth Chorologie der Zentraleuropäischen Flora
System Science 15, 225 (2015). - Band I, II, III (Gustav Fischer Verlag,
[10] P. S. Savill, The silviculture of trees used in Jena, 1998).
British forestry (CABI, 2013). [21] A. K. Skvortsov, Willows of Russia and
[11] Y. Kuzovkina, M. Quigley, Water, Air, and Adjacent Countries: Taxonomical and
Soil Pollution 162, 183 (2005). Geographical Revision (English translation
of 1968 Russian edition) (University of
[12] J. Ball, J. Carle, A. Del Lungo, Unasylva 56, Joensuu, Finland, 1999).
3 (2005).
[13] W. R. Day, The watermark disease of the
cricket bat Willow (Salix caerulea), Oxford
Forestry Memoirs n. 3 (Clarendon Press,
Oxford, 1924).

This is an extended summary of the chapter. The full version of

this chapter (revised and peer-reviewed) will be published online at
https://w3id.org/mtv/FISE-Comm/v01/e01153e. The purpose of this
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Please, cite as:
Houston Durrant, T., de Rigo, D., Caudullo, G., 2016. Salix alba in
Male catkins with yellow stamens in spring. Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats. In: San-Miguel-
(Copyright AnRo0002, commons.wikimedia.org: CC0) Ayanz, J., de Rigo, D., Caudullo, G., Houston Durrant, T., Mauri, A. (Eds.),
European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg,
pp. e01153e+

168 European Atlas of Forest Tree Species | Tree species

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