Plant Details

Salix alba

Willow

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Common names

41 names · 34 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Cricket-bat Willow[1]
  • white willow[1]
  • Willow
Other languages (33)
Dutch
  • Gewone wilg
  • Schietwilg[1]
  • Witte wilg
French
  • Saule blanc[1]
Arabic
  • صفصاف أبيض[1]
Basque
  • Sahats zuria[1]
Belarusian
  • Вярба белая, ці Белалоз[1]
Catalan
  • Salze blanc[1]
Cherokee
  • ᏗᎳᎦᎵᏍᎩ ᎡᏆ[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian
  • Bijela vrba[1]
Czech
  • vrba bílá[1]
Danish
Estonian
  • hõbepaju[1]
  • hõberemmelgas[1]
Finnish
  • Valkosalava[1]
German
  • Silber-Weide[1]
Greek
  • Ιτέα η λευκή[1]
  • Λευκή ιτιά[1]
Hebrew
  • ערבה לבנה[1]
Hungarian
  • Fehér fűz[1]
Italian
  • Salice bianco[1]
Japanese
  • セイヨウシロヤナギ[1]
Kurdish
  • دار بی سپی[1]
Latvian
  • Baltais vītols[1]
Lithuanian
  • Baltasis gluosnis[1]
Norwegian
Polish
  • Wierzba biała[1]
Portuguese
  • Vimeiro-branco[1]
Russian
  • Ива белая[1]
Slovak
  • vŕba biela[1]
Slovenian
Spanish
  • sauce blanco[1]
Swedish
Turkish
  • Ak Söğüt[1]
  • Beyaz Salkım Söğüt[1]
Ukrainian
  • Верба біла[1]
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Salix alba — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • white willow — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • ערבה לבנה — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Vimeiro-branco — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Saule blanc — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Vitpil — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • sauce blanco — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • vrba bílá — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Schietwilg — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Ива белая — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Valkosalava — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • hvitpil — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Salice bianco — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Wierzba biała — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Baltasis gluosnis — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • vŕba biela — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • صفصاف أبيض — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • セイヨウシロヤナギ — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • hõberemmelgas — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • hõbepaju — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Λευκή ιτιά — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Ιτέα η λευκή — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Salze blanc — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • 白柳 — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • 白柳 — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Hvid-pil — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Верба біла — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Вярба белая, ці Белалоз — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • bela vrba — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Baltais vītols — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Bijela vrba — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Fehér fűz — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • ᏗᎳᎦᎵᏍᎩ ᎡᏆ — results[0].names[33]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Beyaz Salkım Söğüt — results[0].names[34]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Cricket-bat Willow — results[0].names[35]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Ak Söğüt — results[0].names[36]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • دار بی سپی — results[0].names[37]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Sahats zuria — results[0].names[38]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.
  • Silber-Weide — results[0].names[39]; taxon id 54841; Salix alba.

General information

Scientific name: Salix alba
Accepted name (Kew): Salix alba L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Botanical family: Salicaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Salix (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Willow
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Tree
Catalogue size class: Medium
Height: 15.24–21.34 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [2]
Spread: 12.19–21.34 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [2]
Growth rate: Fast
Sources [2]
Foliage: Deciduous
Sources [2]
Growth habit: Erect, Multi-stemmed, Rounded, Weeping

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [2]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [2]
Soil moisture:
Well-drained, Moist, Occasional Flooding, Occasionally Wet

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [2]
Soil:
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
Sources [2]
pH:
Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Sources [2]
Light:
Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [2]

Uses

Edible parts:
Leaves, Inner bark, Tea
Edibility rating:
(1)
Medicinal rating:
(3)
Functions:
Basketry, Charcoal, Paper, Pioneer species, Windbreak, Wood, Bee forage

Description

Inner bark can be eaten both raw and cooked. The bark can be dried, ground into powder, and added to grain flour to make bread. It has a bitter taste, especially when fresh, and is sometimes consumed during food shortages. Leaves and young shoots can also be eaten raw or cooked. Although they are not very tasty, they are used in times of scarcity or famine. The leaves can even serve as a tea substitute.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/11
Harvest ends: 28/02

Crown

Crown shape: Narrow pyramidal
Crown density: Dense crown

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1427267; name ID 2918656; Salix L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1427008; name ID 2918804; Salix alba L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Salix alba — Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: HeightSpreadGrowth rateFoliageGrowth habitLightSoil moistureSoil textureSoil pHUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
    • Growth rate: Growth Rate
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • Soil pH: Soil pH
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .