By the rivers of Babylon we sat and weptwhen we remembered Zion. There on the willows we hungour harps– Psalm 137:2

Willows are tree and shrub species from the Salix genus, within the Salicaceae family that also contains poplars and aspens. Theygrow across the world, mostly in cold and temperature zones, and often alongside rivers.

The willow is one of the four species that features in the Jewish autumn festival of Succot (Tabernacles), when arava (willow)and hadass (myrtle) sprigs are waved together with a lulav (palm frond) and citron(etrog).

Willow is very resilient, bending in strong[RK1] [JM2]  winds to prevent it breaking.[RK3]  Its slender branches are perfect for weaving wicker baskets and furniture. The heartwood is much stiffer, providing the bats used in the game of cricket, providing the right combination of strength weight and compressibility. The English idiom “leather on willow” refers to the very distinctivesound of bat striking ball.

Willow is loaded with phytochemicals. Salicylicacid (SA) is particularly abundant, and is now regarded as a one of the universalplant hormones alongside auxins, gibberellins, etc. (see Leaf 7 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6867442661243019264).SA accumulates under conditions of abiotic stresses and seems to act tomitigate their damaging affects though the mechanisms by which this occursremain unclear Furthermore, plants unable to make enough SA of their own areprotected by applying it as a spray (Kahn et al, 2015).

Willow was fed traditionally to goats and sheep, providing basic nutrition may have phytochemicals that promote animal health and fertility. Willow is also used as a folk medicine because of itswide-ranging pharmacological activities. SA has analgesic properties that are the basis of the medicine aspirin. SA is also a skin exfoliant, used to removedead skin, e.g. for treating acne.

Harp-hanging, baskets, animal husbandry, medicinecabinet and cosmetics, all from one tree! This is nothing to weep about.

Further reading

Khan, M Iqbal R et al. (2015). Salicylicacid-induced abiotic stress tolerance and underlying mechanisms inplants. Frontiers in plant science, 6, 462. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00462

Tawfeek, Nora et al. (2021) Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Medicinal Uses of Plants of the Genus Salix: An Updated Review. Frontiers in pharmacology, 12, 593856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.593856

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