Salix purpurea 'Blue'

Edible Parts: Inner bark Leaves Shoots
Edible Uses:

Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then added to cereal flour for use in making bread etc. A very bitter flavour, it is a famine food that is only used when all else fails[172]. Young shoots - raw or cooked. They are not very palatable[172].

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak Fodder: Bank Industrial Crop: Biomass Management: Coppice Other Systems: SRC Regional Crop

Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils[1, 11], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[200]. Plants prefer an alkaline or neutral soil, rarely doing well in acid conditions[186]. Said to prefer a sandy soil[23, 199], plants are tolerant of dryish soils[11]. Plants are tolerant of salt water[199]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is cultivated for its branches which are used in basket making[11], there are some named varieties[131]. Plants are coppiced annually for this purpose[186] A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly species[30] and a good bee plant, providing an early source of nectar and pollen[11]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200]. Plants should be put into their permanent positions as soon as possible[11]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Carbon Farming

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak
Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.

Fodder: Bank
Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Industrial Crop: Biomass
Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Coppice
Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Other Systems: SRC
Short-rotation coppice.

Regional Crop
These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne Antiinflammatory Antiperiodic Antiseptic Astringent Diaphoretic Diuretic Dysentery
Febrifuge Hypnotic Sedative Tonic

The bark is anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antiperiodic, antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, sedative and tonic[4, 9, 21]. It is a very rich source of salicin, which is used in making aspirin[199]. The bark of this species is used interchangeably with S. alba. It is taken internally in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, gout, inflammatory stages of auto-immune diseases, diarrhoea, dysentery, feverish illnesses, neuralgia and headache[238]. The bark is removed during the summer and dried for later use[238]. The leaves are used internally in the treatment of minor feverish illnesses and colic[238], cancerous sores and chronic dysentery[218]. The leaves can be harvested throughout the growing season and are used fresh or dried[238]. The twigs are used in the treatment of cancer, dysentery and ulcers[218]. The bark of the stem and roots is anodyne and styptic[218]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism[218]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Salix / Willow for diseases accompanied by fever, rheumatic ailments, headaches (see [302] for critics of commission E).

Basketry Fodder Hedge Hedge Repellent Soil reclamation Soil stabilization Tannin

The stems are very tough and flexible and are used in basket making[11, 13, 23, 115]. The plant is usually coppiced annually when grown for basket making, though it is possible to coppice it every two years if thick poles are required as uprights. The bark is much disliked by rabbits, so a closely woven fence of this plant can be used as a protective barrier[115]. The bark contains about 10% tannin[223]. Plants can be grown as a hedge[29], the var. 'Gracilis' is suitable for a small hedge on damp sites[182, 200]. It can be kept dense by annual clipping[11]. The plant has an extensive root system and is used in soil reclamation and stabilization projects along estuaries[199]. Dynamic accumulator.

Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;