Salix babylonica

{{Short description|Species of tree}} {{Redirect|Weeping willow||Weeping Willow (disambiguation){{!}}Weeping Willow}} {{Speciesbox |name = Weeping willow |image = Château de Chenonceau - jardin Russell-Page (01).jpg |image_caption = | status = DD | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn">{{cite iucn |author= Barstow |date=2021 |title=''Salix babylonica '' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T61960227A61960237 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T61960227A61960237.en |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> |genus = Salix |species = babylonica |authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] |synonyms_ref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:777133-1 |title=''Salix babylonica'' L. |author= |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=8 September 2020 }}</ref> |synonyms={{Collapsible list| * ''Ficus salix'' H.Lév. & Vaniot * ''Salix babylonica'' var. ''glandulipilosa'' P.I.Mao & W.Z.Li * ''Salix cantoniensis'' Hance * ''Salix capitata'' Y.L.Chou & Skvortsov * ''Salix chinensis'' Burm.f. * ''Salix dependens'' Nakai * ''Salix jeholensis'' Nakai * ''Salix jishiensis'' C.F.Fang & J.Q.Wang * ''Salix lasiogyne'' Seemen * ''Salix lenta'' Fr. * ''Salix matsudana'' Koidz. * ''Salix matsudana'' var. ''anshanensis'' C.Wang & J.Z.Yan * ''Salix matsudana'' var. ''pseudomatsudana'' (Y.L.Chou & Skvortsov) Y.L.Chou * ''Salix napoleonis'' F.W.Schultz * ''Salix neolasiogyne'' Nakai * ''Salix ohsidare'' Kimura * ''Salix pingliensis'' Y.L.Chou * ''Salix pseudogilgiana'' H.Lév. * ''Salix pseudolasiogyne'' H.Lév. * ''Salix pseudomatsudana'' Y.L.Chou & Skvortsov * ''Salix subfragilis'' Andersson * ''Salix yuhkii'' Kimura }}}}

'''''Salix babylonica''''' ('''Babylon willow''' or '''weeping willow'''; {{zh|c=垂柳|p=chuí liǔ}}) is a species of [[willow]] native to dry areas of northern China, [[Korea]], [[Mongolia]], [[Japan]], and [[Siberia]] but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in [[Asia]], being traded along the [[Silk Road]] to southwest Asia and [[Europe]].<ref name=foc>Flora of China: [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005760 ''Salix babylonica'']</ref><ref name=grin>{{GRIN | access-date = 15 December 2017}}</ref>

==Description== ''Salix babylonica'' is a medium- to large-sized [[deciduous]] tree, growing up to {{convert|20|-|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. It grows rapidly, but has a short lifespan, between 40 and 75 years. The shoots are yellowish-brown, with small buds. The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternate and spirally arranged, narrow, light green, {{Convert|4–16|cm|abbr=on}} long and {{Convert|0.5–2|cm|4=1|abbr=on}} broad, with finely serrate margins and long [[leaf shape|acuminate]] tips; they turn a gold-yellow in autumn. The [[flower]]s are arranged in [[catkin]]s produced early in the spring; it is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with the male and female catkins on separate trees.<ref name=foc/><ref name=rhs>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-47494-5}}.</ref> <gallery> File:Saule pleureur chaton.jpg|Male flowers of ''Salix babylonica'' Image:Willow Salix babylonica.jpg|Pendulous [[branchlet]]s of ''Salix babylonica'' File:Salix babylonica2.jpg|Bark of ''Salix babylonica'' File:SalixBabylonicaLeaf.jpg|Leaves of ''Salix babylonica'' File:Salso-chorão em Bagé-RS 04.jpg|In Brazil </gallery>

== Taxonomy == ''Salix babylonica'' was described and named scientifically by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1736, who knew the species as the pendulous-branched ("weeping") variant then recently introduced into the Clifford garden in [[Hartekamp]] in [[Netherlands|The Netherlands]].<ref name=Cultivars />

=== Horticultural selections and related hybrids  === {{Redirect|Weeping willow||Weeping Willow (disambiguation){{!}}Weeping Willow}} [[File:Wollman Weeping Willows turning jeh.jpg|thumb|Hybrid weeping willows (''Salix × sepulcralis'' 'Chrysocoma') in December, with pendulous yellow branchlets ([[Central Park]])]] Early Chinese [[cultivar]] selections include the original weeping willow, ''Salix babylonica'' 'Pendula', in which the branches and twigs are strongly pendulous, which was presumably spread along ancient [[trade route]]s.<ref name=Cultivars /> These distinctive trees were subsequently introduced into [[England]] from [[Aleppo]] in northern [[Syria]] in 1730,<ref name=Michigan /> and have rapidly become [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]], growing well along rivers and in parks. These plants are all females, readily propagated [[vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]], and capable of hybridizing with various other kinds of willows, but not breeding true from seed. This type of tree is grown very easily through [[plant propagation]].

Two cultivated [[hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] between pendulous ''Salix babylonica'' and other species of ''Salix'' willows also have pendulous branchlets, and are more commonly planted than ''S. babylonica'' itself:

* ''Salix'' × ''pendulina'', a hybrid with ''S. babylonica'' accepted as the female parent, but with the male parent unidentified, probably being either ''S. euxina'' or [[Salix × fragilis|''S''. × ''fragilis'']], but perhaps ''[[Salix pentandra|S. pentandra]]''.<ref name=Cultivars />{{#tag:ref|The names ''Salix euxina'' and ''Salix'' × ''fragilis'' as used here follow current (2011) classifications of ''Salix'';{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} Santamour and McArdle called these species ''Salix fragilis'' and ''Salix'' × ''rubens'', respectively.|group=note}} Of these possibilities, ''S''. × ''fragilis'' is itself a hybrid, with ''S. alba'' and ''S. euxina'' as parental species.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} * ''Salix'' × ''sepulcralis'', is a hybrid between ''[[Salix alba|S. alba]]'' and ''S. babylonica''.<ref name=Cultivars />

Cultivars derived from either of these hybrids are generally better adapted than ''S. babylonica'' to the more humid climates of most heavily populated regions of Europe and North America.<ref name=bean4/><ref name=rdm/>

===Relation to ''Salix matsudana''=== A similar willow species also native to northern China, ''Salix matsudana'' (Chinese willow), is now included in ''Salix babylonica'' as a [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] by many botanists, including the Russian willow expert [[Alexey Skvortsov]].<ref name=Cultivars /><ref name=bean4 /> The only reported difference between the two species is ''S. matsudana'' has two [[nectar]]ies in each female flower, whereas ''S. babylonica'' has only one; however, this character is variable in many willows (for example, crack willow, [[Salix × fragilis|''Salix'' × ''fragilis'']], can have either one or two), so even this difference may not be taxonomically significant.<ref name=bean4>Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' 8th ed., vol. 6. John Murray {{ISBN|0-7195-2428-8}}.</ref> A horticultural variant with twisted twigs and trunk, the corkscrew willow (''S. matsudana'' var. ''tortuosa''), is widely planted.{{cn|date=September 2020}}

== Cultivation == [[File:Claude Monet, Weeping Willow.JPG|thumb|250px|''[[Weeping Willow (painting)|Weeping Willow]]'', by [[Claude Monet]] (1918)]]

''Salix babylonica'', especially its pendulous-branched ("weeping") form, has been introduced into many other areas, including [[Europe]] and the southeastern [[United States]], but beyond China, it has not generally been as successfully cultivated as some of its hybrid derivatives, being sensitive to late-spring frosts. In the more humid [[climate]]s of much of [[Europe]] and eastern [[North America]], it is susceptible to a [[canker]] disease, willow anthracnose (''[[Marssonina salicicola]]''), which makes infected trees very short-lived and unsightly.<ref name=bean4/><ref name=rdm>Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. {{ISBN|0-901158-07-0}}.</ref>

=== Cultivars === ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow) has many cultivars, including:

* 'Babylon' (synonym: 'Napoleon') is the most widely grown cultivar of ''S. babylonica'', with its typical weeping branches.<ref name=Cultivars>Santamour, F.S. & McArdle, A.J. (1988). Cultivars of Salix babylonica and other Weeping Willows. Journal of Arboriculture 14: 180-184</ref> * 'Crispa' (synonym: 'Annularis') is a mutant of 'Babylon', with spirally curled leaves.

Various cultivars of ''Salix matsudana'' (Chinese willow) are now often included within ''Salix babylonica'', treated more broadly, including:

* 'Pendula' is a weeping tree, with a silvery shine, hardier, and more disease resistant. * 'Tortuosa' is an upright tree with twisted and contorted branches, marketed as corkscrew willow.

Other weeping willow cultivars are derived from interspecific ''Salix'' hybrids, including ''S. babylonica'' in their parentage.<ref name=Cultivars /> The most widely grown weeping willow cultivar is ''Salix × sepulcralis'' 'Chrysocoma', with bright yellowish branchlets.<ref name=bean4/><ref name=rdm/>

== Uses == Peking willow is a popular [[ornamental plant|ornamental tree]] in northern China, and is also grown for [[wood]] production and [[shelterbelts]] there, being particularly important around the [[oasis|oases]] of the [[Gobi Desert]], protecting agricultural land from desert winds.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

Weeping willow tea has been reported successfully used for rooting a wide variety of plants including but not limited to; goji, Himalayan raspberry, limequat, honeyberry, lemon verbena.{{citation needed|date=March 2026}}

==Origin== The epithet ''babylonica'' in this Chinese species' scientific name (''S. babylonica''), as well as the related common names "Babylon willow" or "Babylon weeping willow", derive from a misunderstanding by [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] that this willow was the tree described in the [[Bible]] in the opening of [[Psalm 137]] (here in Latin and English translations):

* From the [[Sixto-Clementine Vulgate|Clementine Vulgate]] (Latin, 1592): ::<blockquote>Super flumina Babylonis illic sedimus et flevimus, cum recordaremur Sion. :::In salicibus in medio ejus suspendimus organa nostra....</blockquote> :Here, ''"salicibus"'' is the dative plural of the Latin noun ''salix'', the willows, used by Linnaeus as the name for the willow genus ''Salix''.

* From the [[Authorized King James Version|King James Version]] (English, 1611): ::<blockquote>By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. :::We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.</blockquote>

* From the [[Revised Standard Version]] (English, 1952): ::<blockquote>By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion :::On the willows there we hung up our lyres....</blockquote>

Despite these Biblical references to "willows", whether in Latin or English, the trees growing in [[Babylon]] along the [[Euphrates River]] in ancient [[Mesopotamia]] (modern [[Iraq]]) and named ''gharab'' in early [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], are not willows (''[[Salix]]'') in either the modern or the classical sense, but the Euphrates poplar (''[[Populus euphratica]]''), with willow-like leaves on long, drooping shoots, in the related [[genus]] ''[[Populus]]''.<ref name=Michigan>{{cite book|author=Barnes, Burton V.|author2= W.H. Wagner Jr.|author2-link=Warren H. Wagner|name-list-style=amp|title=Michigan Trees: A guide to the trees of the Great Lakes region (revised and updated)|url=https://archive.org/details/michigantreesgui0000barn|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=The University of Michigan Press|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan|isbn=978-0-472-08921-5|pages=x + 448 pp}}</ref><ref name=bean4/> Both ''Populus'' and ''Salix'' are in the plant family [[Salicaceae]], the willow family.

These Babylonian trees are correctly called poplars, not willows, in the [[New International Version]] of the ''Bible'' (English, 1978): ::<blockquote>By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion :::There on the poplars we hung our harps.</blockquote>

== Explanatory notes == {{Reflist|group=note}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * ''Flora of China:'' {{Citation | last = eFloras | title = Salix babylonica | volume = 4 | page = 186 | url = http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200005760 }} * {{PFAF|Salix babylonica}} * {{PFAF|Salix matsudana}}

== External links == * {{Wikispecies inline}} * {{Commons category inline|Salix babylonica}}

[[Category:Salix|babylonica]] [[Category:Drought-tolerant trees]] [[Category:Flora of China]] [[Category:Flora of Japan]] [[Category:Flora of Korea]] [[Category:Flora of Mongolia]] [[Category:Flora of Russia]] [[Category:Garden plants of Asia]] [[Category:Ornamental trees]] [[Category:Phytoremediation plants]] [[Category:Plants described in 1753]] [[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]] [[Category:Trees of China]] [[Category:Trees of continental subarctic climate]] [[Category:Trees of Russia]] [[Category:Trees of Siberia]] [[Category:Weeping trees]]