Herb: Rosegold Pussy Willow


Latin name: Salix gracilistyla


Family: Salicaceae (Willow Family)



Medicinal use of Rosegold Pussy Willow:

The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Flowering:
March
to April

Habitat of the herb:

Banks of mountain streams.

Edible parts of Rosegold Pussy Willow:

Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then added to cereal flour for use in making bread etc. A very bitter flavour, it is a famine food that is only used when all else fails. Young leaves and flowers - parboiled and eaten as a vegetable. Not very palatable. The leaves are a tea substitute.

Other uses of the herb:

The stems are used in basket making. Planted along the sides of streams to prevent erosion from the bank.

Propagation of Rosegold Pussy Willow:

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. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, November to February 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, June to August in a frame. Very easy.

Cultivation of the herb:

Banks of mountain streams.

Known hazards of Salix gracilistyla:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.