willow

wil·low

W0162700 (wĭl′ō)n.1. a. Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Salix, having usually narrow leaves, unisexual flowers borne in catkins, and strong lightweight wood.b. The wood of any of these trees.2. Something, such as a cricket bat, that is made from willow.3. A textile machine consisting of a spiked drum revolving inside a chamber fitted internally with spikes, used to open and clean unprocessed cotton or wool.tr.v. wil·lowed, wil·low·ing, wil·lows To open and clean (textile fibers) with a willow.

[Middle English wilowe, from Old English welig; see wel- in Indo-European roots.]

willow

(ˈwɪləʊ) n1. (Plants) any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds2. (Forestry) the whitish wood of certain of these trees3. (Forestry) something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat4. (Cricket) something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat5. (Baseball) something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat6. (Textiles) a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres[Old English welig; related to wilige wicker basket, Old Saxon wilgia, Middle High German wilge, Greek helikē willow, helix twisted] ˈwillowish, ˈwillow-ˌlike adj

Willow

n (Placename) a small town in S Alaska, about 113 km (70 miles) northwest of Anchorage: chosen as the site of the projected new state capital in 1976, a plan which never came to fruition. Pop: 1658 (2000)

wil•low

(ˈwɪl oʊ)

n. 1. any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, of the willow family, characterized by narrow, lance-shaped leaves and dense catkins bearing small flowers, many species having tough, pliable twigs or branches used for wickerwork, etc. 2. the wood of any of these trees. 3. something, esp. a cricket bat, made of willow wood. [before 900; Middle English wilwe, wilghe, Old English welig, c. Old Saxon wilgia, Middle Low German wilge]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	willow - any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salixwillow treegenus Salix, Salix - a large and widespread genus varying in size from small shrubs to large trees: willowsosier - any of various willows having pliable twigs used in basketry and furnitureHuntingdon willow, Salix alba, white willow - large willow tree of Eurasia and North Africa having greyish canescent leaves and grey barkSalix alba sericea, Salix sericea, silver willow, silky willow - North American willow with greyish silky pubescent leaves that usually blacken in dryingcricket-bat willow, Salix alba caerulea - Eurasian willow tree having greyish leaves and ascending branchesarctic willow, Salix arctica - low creeping shrub of Arctic Europe and AmericaBabylonian weeping willow, Salix babylonica, weeping willow - willow with long drooping branches and slender leaves native to China; widely cultivated as an ornamentalSalix blanda, Salix pendulina, Salix pendulina blanda, Wisconsin weeping willow - hybrid willow usually not strongly weeping in habitpussy willow, Salix discolor - small willow of eastern North America having greyish leaves and silky catkins that come before the leavessallow - any of several Old World shrubby broad-leaved willows having large catkins; some are important sources for tanbark and charcoalalmond-leaves willow, peachleaf willow, peach-leaved willow, Salix amygdaloides - willow of the western United States with leaves like those of peach or almond treeshoary willow, Salix candida, sage willow - North American shrub with whitish canescent leavesbrittle willow, crack willow, Salix fragilis, snap willow - large willow tree with stiff branches that are easily brokenprairie willow, Salix humilis - slender shrubby willow of dry areas of North Americadwarf willow, Salix herbacea - widely distributed boreal shrubby willow with partially underground creeping stems and bright green glossy leavesgray willow, grey willow, Salix cinerea - Eurasian shrubby willow with whitish tomentose twigsarroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis - shrubby willow of the western United StatesSalix lucida, shining willow - common North American shrub with shiny lanceolate leavesblack willow, Salix nigra, swamp willow - North American shrubby willow having dark bark and linear leaves growing close to streams and lakesbay willow, laurel willow, Salix pentandra - European willow tree with shining leathery leaves; widely naturalized in the eastern United Statesbalsam willow, Salix pyrifolia - small shrubby tree of eastern North America having leaves exuding an odor of balsam when crushedcreeping willow, Salix repens - small trailing bush of Europe and Asia having straggling branches with silky green leaves of which several varieties are cultivatedSalix sitchensis, silky willow, Sitka willow - small shrubby tree of western North America (Alaska to Oregon)dwarf gray willow, dwarf grey willow, sage willow, Salix tristis - willow shrub of dry places in the eastern United States having long narrow leaves canescent beneathbearberry willow, Salix uva-ursi - dwarf prostrate mat-forming shrub of Arctic and alpine regions of North America and Greenland having deep green elliptic leaves that taper toward the basetree - a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
	2.	willow - a textile machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fiberstextile machine - a machine for making textiles

Translations

柳树

willow

(ˈwiləu) noun a type of tree with long, slender branches. 柳树

willow

→ 柳树zhCN

willow

willow,

common name for some members of the Salicaceae, a family of deciduous trees and shrubs of worldwide distribution, especially abundant from north temperate to arctic areas. The family consists of two genera, Salix and Populus, both of which are propagated easily by cuttings, grow rapidly, and characteristically bear male and female flowers in catkins on separate plants.

Many plants of the narrower-leaved willow genus (Salix) flourish in cold, wet ground; willows grow farther north than any other woody angiosperm (flowering plant). The poplars (genus Populus) usually have heart-shaped or ovate leaves; they include the cottonwoods, aspens, and many species specifically named poplar. The cottonwoods (sometimes also called poplars) characteristically have seeds that are covered with fibrous coats so that when they are released at maturity they clump together in cottony balls. Cottonwoods were a welcome sight to the pioneers pushing westward, for they marked the streams in the otherwise treeless Great Plains. Some of the poplars, especially the aspens, have flattened leaf stalks that permit the pendulous leaves to quiver in the slightest breeze (hence the name quaking aspen). The quaking, or golden, aspen (P. termuloides) is a common deciduous tree of the mountains of the W United States; it is often the first tree to reforest burned-over woodlands. Large stands of aspen trees often consist of one or two clones connected at the roots. The hybrid species Populus × jackii is one of the plants called balm of Gileadbalm of Gilead
, name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree (Commiphora gileadensis, also once called C.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Because the lumber of this family is so soft it finds little use except for paper pulp (mostly the poplars), for biomass and biofuel, for charcoal, and especially in basketry and wickerwork (mostly the willows). The bushes and their twigs used in basketry are often called osiers. Willow buds and bark have also been used medicinally; the chemical predecessor of aspirin was originally isolated from the bark of a willow. The trees are valuable in erosion control along riverbanks because of their rapid growth. The family is most noted for its many species planted as ornamentals, e.g., the Lombardy poplar (P. nigra cultivar Italica) and the silver, or white, poplar (P. alba), now naturalized in North America from Eurasia; the weeping willow (S. babylonica), indigenous to China; and the pussy willow (S. discolor) of North America with its silky catkins.

Yellow poplar or tulip poplar is a name sometimes used for the unrelated tulip tree of the magnoliamagnolia,
common name for plants of the genus Magnolia, and for the Magnoliaceae, a family of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, often with showy flowers. They are principally of north temperate regions with centers of distribution in Asia and E North America.
..... Click the link for more information. family. Willows are classified in the division MagnoliophytaMagnoliophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Salicales, family Salicaceae.

willow

A natural form of Aspirin (salicylic acid) to stop pain if you make tea from the leaves or bark. Willow is more toxic to humans than other trees as a food source, but it's ok for some people to make tea from as a form of aspirin. For others, it may cause stomach problems and bleeding. If you take a willow branch and stick it in water with a branch from a fruit tree, the natural acids from the willow branch will make the fruit tree branch grow roots, so you can take the fruit tree branch and simply plant it to grow a new fruit tree ! Willow bark is very bitter and astringent, used for cancers, arthritis, rheumatism, diarrhea, pain, fever, sore throat, ulcers, bleeding problems, rashes, (including poison ivy), jaundice, skin problems, urinary issues, blood purification and toothaches. Do not take for long periods of time, or liver damage could result. Do not take if you have stomach ulcers.

Willow

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The willow tree was sacred to the goddesses Arianrhod, Circe, Hecate, and Persephone. On Circe's enchanted island, there was a grove of willows from which hung corpses. The virgin form of Hecate was Helice, who guarded Mount Helicon. She carried a willow wand as a cosmic symbol connected with the stars. In the Celtic tradition, the willow was called saille, the letter S, in the tree alphabet.

The willow was also a tree associated with grief, although this association probably dates only from the Middle Ages. The Bible refers to exiled Jews weeping beside the rivers of Babylon and hanging their harps on "willows" there. However, it is more likely that the trees referred to were the Euphrates aspen rather than what we know of as the willow.

Willow wands are used for divination and water witching, and are one of the preferred woods for the making of magical wands. Many modern Witches use the willow in healing rites and believe that a willow planted in the garden will draw down the blessings of the goddess from the moon, thus guarding the home. Other names for the willow are Saugh Tree, Tree of Enchantment, Witches' Aspirin, and Withy.

Scott Cunningham equates the willow with the moon and water, and with Artemis, Ceres, Hecate, Persephone, Hera, Mercury, Belili, and Belinus. He states that willow leaves are used in mixtures to attract love and that all parts of the willow guard against evil. The leaves, bark, and wood are utilized in healing spells.

Willow

(Salix), a genus of plants of the family Salicaceae. They are trees, shrubs, or shrublets with spirally placed, for the most part short-stemmed, leaves. The flowers are unisexual and dioecious and lack a perianth. They sit in the axils of covering scales and are gathered into dense clusters called catkins. The male flowers usually have one to eight (up to 12) stamens and the female, one pistil with a monothalamous ovary and two often delaminated stigmata. The fruit is a capsule containing numerous seeds with tufted pappi. Willows are pollinated by insects (mainly bees). There are approximately 300 species, predominantly in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America.

The USSR has approximately 120 species; there are also many interspecies hybrids. The willow has many names in Russia: the large trees and shrubs that grow primarily in the west of the European part of the USSR are called vetla (white willow, Salix alba), verba (daphne willow, S. daphnoides), sheliuga (sharp-leaved willow, S. acutifolia), and rakita (goat willow, S. cap-red); bushes are called loza or lozniak (French willow, S. triandra); and the usually shrubby species of the eastern regions of the European part of the USSR, Siberia, and Middle Asia are called tal or tal’nik (purple osier, S. purpurea).

The polar and high-altitude willows are low-growing, spreading shrublets that reach a height of only a few centimeters—for example, the polar willow (S. polaris) and the dwarf willow (S. herbacea). But there are willows that grow 30–40 m tall and over 0.5 m in diameter.

The majority of willows are small trees (10–15 m) or shrubs. Their ability to produce adventitious roots permits willows to be easily propagated from cuttings and even from twigs (except for the goat willow, S. capred). The seeds lose their germinating capacity within several days; only the bay willow (S. pentan-drd) seeds remain vital until the following spring.

Willow wood is very light and soft and rots readily. It is used for making small hand-carved articles. In unforested areas willow is used as a building material. The withes of some shrubby willows (osier, purple willow and French willow) are used for weaving baskets and making furniture. The leafy branches of the willow are used as fodder for animals (especially goats and sheep). The bark of many willows is used for tanning leathers (the gray, goat, and white willows). The bark of some species contains the glucoside salicin, which has medicinal value. Many species are ornamental (common osier, S. viminalis). Willows are used for reinforcing sands (sharp-leaved willow, Caspian willow), the banks of canals and ditches, and the slopes of dams (white willow, brittle willow); in antierosion plantings in forest-steppe and steppe regions (white, brittle, and osier willows); and as field-protecting and roadside forest strips on moister soils.

REFERENCES

Morozov, I. R. Ivy SSSR, ikh ispol’zovanie i primenenie v zashchitnom lesorazvedenii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1950.
Pravdin, L. F. Iva, ee kul’tura i ispol’zovanie. Moscow, 1952.
Levitskii, I. I. Iva i ee ispol’zovanie. Moscow, 1965.
Skvortsov, A. K. Ivy SSSR. Moscow, 1968.

A. K. SKVORTSOV

willow

[′wil·ō] (botany) A deciduous tree and shrub of the genus Salix, order Salicales; twigs are often yellow-green and bear alternate leaves which are characteristically long, narrow, and pointed, usually with fine teeth along the margins.

willow

tree emblem of rejected affection. [Plant Symbolism: “Tit-Willow,” Mikado; “Willow Song,” Othello]See: Love, Spurned

willow

1. any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds 2. the whitish wood of certain of these trees 3. something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat 4. a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres

willow

wil·low

willow

Willow

wil•low

willow

willow

willow

wear the willow

wear the green willow

wear the green willow

willow

willow,

willow

Willow

Willow

REFERENCES

willow

willow

willow

willow

wil·low

willow

Synonyms for willow

noun any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a textile machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibers

Related Words