#nativetochina

Salix babylonica // Weeping Willow

Origin:  Native to Northern China

Etymology/Cultural Associations:  Species epithet (babylonica) assigned by Carl Linnaeus, who believed the tree to be the biblical species from Babylon after seeing its graceful profile along the Euphrates River.  More likely, the species was transported from China along the Silk Road through Asia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, before arriving in Europe by the 1700s.  Common name refers to weeping tendency of branches and leaves.

The shade of a Weeping Willow helped comfort Napoleon during his exile on the Island of St. Helena.  After Napoleon was buried under his favorite tree, cuttings from it became a valued prize among his admirers worldwide.

Zone:  6 to 8

Habitat:  Thrives in moist soils and prefers full sun.  Intolerant of dry soils. Found in floodplains and along edges of rivers and ponds.

Mature Size:  30-50′ tall with 30-50′ spread.  Stout trunk is topped by graceful broad-rounded crown of downward-sweeping branches.

Leaves:  Alternate.  Narrow, lanceolate, leaves are finely toothed and grow up to 6” long and 3/4” wide.  Leaves are light green above and gray-green beneath.  Undistinguished Fall color.

Flower/Fruit:  Dioecious.  Male and female flowers appear in silvery green catkins (1” long).

[www.missouribotanicalgarden.org]