Willow

Weeping willow

The willows are trees and shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family (Salicaceae). There are about 350 species in this genus worldwide, found primarily in cooler zones. These plants are dioecious with male and female floweres appearing as catkins on different plants. The deciduous leaves are often elongate and serrate.

The White willow (Salix alba) is a widespread European species, which has become naturalised on many other parts of the world; it is a tree up to 30m tall. A cultivar of it, 'Caerulea', selected for fast, straight growth, is grown in southern England, the wood being used for the manufacture of cricket bats.

The Weeping willow, very widely planted as an ornamental tree, is a cultivar Salix 'Tristis', derived from a hybrid between the Chinese S. babylonica and S. alba.

Willow is also the title of a film made in 1988 and written by George Lucas. See Willow (1988).

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