Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

71* Salix alba. White willow.3 -+-t-----'-_t_Tetrads 43F, 43H, 43M and 53A (Hall 1980), probably mostly outside our flora area.We have only recorded it twice as single trees planted in Pippingford Park 448.312,SBRS and at 453.316, MM & ER, both 1995.Widespread in Britain and native in much of Europe east to central Asia.4 5*Salix x sepulcralis (S. alba x babylonica). Weeping willow group.One tree planted in Maskett's Wood with other introductions by pond (428.285), 1995,Flora meeting, but not weeping very much.Occasionally established in Britain, but probably not truly naturalized. It probablyoriginated in cultivation. S. baby/onica is native in China and does not survive well in our3 climate.4 5Salix triandra. Almond willow, French willow.Recorded in tetrad 42T in Hall (1980), possibly from around some of the ponds near Oldlands Hall or Marlpits at Fairwarp,but not refound.This willow is one of the main species used for basket-making. There is an excellent display of willow cultivars usedfor baskets at Wakehurst Place, which also describes the techniques used to produce different coloured twigs.It is scattered in lowland Britain and widespread in Europe, and also occurs in temperate Asia and Algeria.*Salix viminalis. Osier.Tetrads 42N and 43H (Hall 1980), but not refound (the latter record may be from outside our area along the old railwayline at Forest Row).Widespread in Britain and native in much of Europe to Himalaya and Japan. Increasing in England {Rich & Woodruff19961.Salix x sericans (S. caprea x viminalis). Broad~leaved osier.A young tree by the pond at Marlpits, Fairwarp (467.263), 1993, TR & NM, wasprovisionally identified as this, but it had been co pp iced and the twigs used to make a newfence when we went to double-check it in 1995. We will have to visit it again in a fewyears.3 -++------"'--1--It is a frequent hybrid willow in Britain and Ireland, and may arise spontaneously. It wasalso planted for coarse basket work (Meikle 1984).4 5Salix caprea subsp. caprea. Goat willow, Sally.Common on the Forest (Hall 1980).Recorded by us in nearly every square where it typically occurs on the edges of heathsand scrub, and avoids the acidic podzols. At Broadstone Farm, 80% of the goat willowswere lost in the 1987 storm resulting in concern for the purple emperor butterflies whichfeed on Salix (AFN 14: 14-1 7), but they are still present.In Forest Row in 1995, a tree 10 metres tall produced thousands of seeds which wereshed with their fluffy down with green seeds into the drying wind over a period of aboutthree days in June, giving the impression of light snow. About two seeds were found persquare centimetre on open soils 20 metres down wind, about half of which germinatedimmediately (Sa/ix seeds are reputed to only live for a few days). Surprisingly, many grew well despite the drought, andby the end of July there were densities of about one per square centimetre, which then rapidly declined until only two orthree per square metre remained by the end of August.Widespread in Britain (increasing in England; Rich & Woodruff 1996) and in Europe east to central Asia.