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Salicaceae FAMILY

Salix x rubra

Salix x rubra

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils[1, 2], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[3]. Rarely thrives on chalk[3]. There are a number of cultivars, selected for their use in basket making[4]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[3]. Although the flowers are produced in catkins early in the year, they are pollinated by bees and other insects rather than by the wind[2]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[3]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagation

Seed - must be surface sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring. It has a very short viability, perhaps as little as a few days. This is a hybrid species and it will not breed true from seed. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, late autumn to late winter in a sheltered outdoor bed or planted straight into their permanent position and given a good weed-suppressing mulch. Very easy. Plant into their permanent positions in the autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, early summer to August in a frame. Very easy. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Salix+x+rubra>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. 33. — Li. H. L. · Harvard University · 1952 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎A botanical magazine, it contains a monograph of the genus Actinidia. Available to download from the Internet.
  5. [5]Willows - The Genus Salix. — Newsholme. C. · Batsford · 1992 · ISBN 0713468815 ↩︎A very readable book on the genus.
  6. [6]Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. — Schofield. J. J. · Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska · 2003 · ISBN 0882403699 ↩︎A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
  7. [7]BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) — http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ ↩︎Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin.
  8. [8]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  9. [9]Willows. — Warren-Wren. S. C. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN - ↩︎A readable guide to the willows.
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎