Goat willow

Profile

Family

Salicaceae

Habit

Tree

Height

10 m

Spread

10 m

Growth

very fast

Lifespan

60 years

First yield

after 10 years

Hardiness

zone 4–9

Shade tolerance

partial shade

Soil

Sand, Silt, Loam, Clay

Soil moisture

dry – very wet

pH

6 – 7.5

Flowering & harvest

Times apply to the northern hemisphere in a temperate climate and shift with altitude and cultivar.

Uses

Edible: The inner bark is edible raw or cooked, and can be dried, ground into powder for bread flour. It has a bitter taste and is consumed as a last resort food. Young shoots, although not very flavorful, can also be eaten raw or cooked and provide edible manna.

Medicinal: The bark of all plants in this genus contains salicin, which converts to salicylic acid in the body and is utilized for its pain-relieving and fever-reducing properties.

Other uses: The plant's stems are highly flexible and commonly pruned annually for basket weaving. Its bark, tough and pliable, serves as a leather alternative with a tannin content of around 10%. Thriving in coastal conditions, the plant grows rapidly, making it suitable for windbreak hedges and shelterbelts, despite its somewhat disorderly growth pattern. With lightweight seeds dispersed by the wind, it can colonize disturbed areas like deforested lands. While it acts as a beneficial pioneer species, it often loses out to other woodland trees. Certain varieties can function as ground cover, while the soft, elastic wood is ideal for crafting baskets, carpets, and high-quality charcoal.

Growing

Thrives in various soil types, including moist, poorly drained, or occasionally flooded conditions, but prefers moist, heavy soil in a sunny area. It can grow in drier soils compared to other Salix species. Rarely found thriving on limestone, it typically grows on alkaline soils in the wild. This tree can withstand air pollution and exposed locations, including maritime environments. A rapidly growing tree that establishes itself effectively, displaying an untidy growth pattern. Preferring sunlight, this tree grows tall and slender in woodland settings, although it also thrives along sunny edges. Readily hybridizing with other genus members, it produces flowers in catkins early in the year, primarily pollinated by bees and insects rather than wind. Highly tolerant of pruning, these trees resprout effectively. Susceptible to the honey fungus, plants in this genus require both male and female specimens for seed production.

Propagation

Seeds should be sown on the surface right after they mature in late spring as they have a short shelf life, possibly only a few days. Cuttings from mature wood of the current year can be planted from November to February in a sheltered outdoor bed or directly in their final spot, covered with weed-suppressing mulch. These cuttings do not root effectively and should be planted in their final location in autumn. Cuttings from semi-mature wood can be placed in a frame from June to August but do not root well.

Notable

Special features: Grows on fallow land, scree slopes, and clear-cuts on clayey/stony raw soils; initiates forest development; catkin branches are traditionally used as protective decorations... Along with oak, it is the most important plant for the native butterfly fauna: ~100 species feed on the goat willow;

Origin & habitat

Europe, from Norway south and east to Spain, temperate Asia and Syria.

Forests, scrub, and mountain rocks are predominantly found on lighter soils and are seldom present on clay or soft limestone. This tree species is typically located at higher elevations compared to all other native trees.

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