Salix Nigra Black Willow - Top of the Choice



Posted: Monday, October 05, 2009

by Dennis Sons
tn nursery

North America is a land of deciduous trees and one of its native species is the Salix Nigra Black Willow . The trees of this species shed its leaves and flowers once in a year. Many of the trees of this category normally grow up to 30 meters, but some, if they are extraordinary blessed, can reach the height of 45 meters. These trees are loaded with flowers and fruits in their season of bloom. People use all parts of this tree for some purpose or the other. This is the reason, when we go to any nursery and demand the tree from the willow family, Salix nigra black willow tops the choice. Willow means a group of species from the genus Salix that is part of a deciduous shrub. This species grows best in the swamps near streams and other water bodies, so people confuse them with swamp willow, which is completely different.

The arrangement of leaves of this tree is in alternate pattern. The leaves are soft to feel and pointed at the edges. The length of the leaves, ranges from 5 to 15 centimeters, and the width is 0.5 to 2 centimeters. These leaves are sickle shaped, and the color of the leaves is green as usual but is slightly darker than the rest. The thing worth noting is that in the other trees of the same genus, the leaves can be somewhat whitish at the bottom. The leaves and the flowers grow at the same time.

The flowers start blooming around middle of April and continue up to end of May. The distinct feature of the growth of flowers is that, the male and the female flowers do not grow on the same plant. The female flowers bear capsules. The action of the wind causes the capsules to ripen and distribute the pollen all over the place. The seeds take approximately 60 days to ripen. Small green seeds are scattered when the ripen seeds break and new seeds come out, that have a covering of hair on it. These hairs like structures serve the purpose of wings, to carry the seeds from one place to the other. The plant bears seeds only after attaining the age of minimum 10 years. The best part is that the tree is capable of bearing seeds up to the age of 75 years.

As stated earlier, every part of this tree is usable. The bark has characteristics that make it useful for many purposes. The wood is strong and it is not possible to bend it. It is not possible to compress it and is resistant to shocks. The only problem is that, it is not long- lasting. It is common to use the pulp of the bark to make tables, boxes and other wooden pieces.

The roots of this plant are useful for medicinal purposes, and this tree is commonly liked as the roots are strong, which is considered good for projects relating to soil conservation and for preventing soil erosion.

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