WILLOW, Saiix, a genus of trees and shrubs or tilt natural order s..dteacece, otherwise regarded as a sub-order of amentaceee. This order or sub-order, to which the poplar (q.v.) also belongs, is distinguished by having the flowers naked or with a cup-like perianth; numerous ovules; a naked, leathery, one-celled, two-valved fruit; seeds with long hairs; leaves with stipules. In the willows, the flowers ire absolutely naked, the stamens from one to five in number, the leaves simple and deciduous. There are many species, but their precise number is not likely to be soon determined, as they arc very difficult to distinguish botanically, and varieties are very numerous. They are mostly natives of the colder temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, although some are found in warm countries, as saliz tetraspernut in the hottest parts of India, and another species abundantly on the banks of the Senegal. Mott of them are shrubs, and some are of very humble growth, particularly those of arctic and alpine regions. Thus, S. herbacea, which is common ou the mountains of Scotland, seldom rises more than an inch from the ground. S. arctica and S. polaris are the most northern woody plants. Other small species are also found to the very limits of perpetual snow in different countries, as J.V. Lindleyana on the Himalaya. Some of the species have already been noticed in the articles OSIER and SALLOW. Some of those which more generally receive the popular name willow, are trees of large size, and remarkably rapid growth. The wood of some of them, as the WHITE WILLOW, or HUNTINGDON WILLOW (S. alba), and the CRACK WILLOW (S. fragilis), is used for many purposes, being remarkably durable, especially in damp situations, although light and soft. It was anciently used for shields. Cork-cutters and others employ it for whetting sha•p-edged implements. It is very tough. It is used for making paddles of steamboats, because it wears better in water than any other kind of Wood. Willows are often planted as ornamental trees, especially near streams and in moist grounds. Many kinds are also planted on the banks of rivers to retain the soil in its place, and restrain the encroachments of the river. They are the
better adapted for this purpose that they grow readily by cuttings; and willow-stakes driven into a moist soil strike root, and soon become luxuriant. The twigs of most of the willows are very tough and flexible, and are used by coopers for making hoops, and by gardeners for tying espalier trees, and for many similar purposes. They are much used for basket-making and other kinds of wicker-work. See OSIER. Willow willies were probably amongst the first ropes used by man. But the young shoots of many of the kinds with ovate or little elongated leaves are comparatively brittle, and ill adapted for wicker-work. Willow trees are sometimes treated as pollards, and the lop used for fuel and other purposes. They are also often grown as coppice-wood, yielding a great bulk of hoops, poles, fuel, etc. The leaves and young shoots are in some countries used as food for cattle, and even dried and stacked for that use, A fragrant water is dis tilled in the n. of India, from the catkins of the EGYPTIAN or CALIPH WILLOW (S. Egyptiaca). A principle called salicine exists in the bark of willows, which has been found efficacious in intermittent fevers, and is sometimes used a substitute for quinine. It is crystalline and intensely bitter. The flowers of the willow, which in' many species appear before the leaves, are much sought after by bees. The male catkins of many species are very beautiful, the prominent anthers being of a fine yellow color, or as in S. purpurea, of a rich purple. The WEEPING WILLOW (S. Babyloniea), (see WEEP rca TREES), is a very ornamental species, a native of the east, now much planted in Britain, and on the continent of Europe, on account of its beautiful pendent twigs. What is called NAPOLEON'S WILLOW is a variety of it.—The white willow or Hunting don willow is by far the largest species known in Britain. It attains a height of 80 ft., and grows so rapidly that a cutting has been known to become a tree of 30 ft. in ten years. Its head is much branched and spreading, its leaves narrow elliptical-lanceolate, silky beneath, and sometimes also above.