FAMILY — WILLOW FAMILY – SALICACEAE
Dioecious trees or shrubs with simple, alternate leaves. The flowers are unisexual, without a perianth, located in the axils of bract scales, and gathered in catkins. The ovary is superior. The fruit is a capsule; the seeds have a tuft of hairs. They bloom in early spring, before the leaves appear or simultaneously. They are wind-pollinated.
Species often contain tannins, with the highest concentration found in the bark, and they are also present in the leaves. Members of this family contain glycosides such as salicin, populin, and others, which release salicylic acid and its derivatives. Flavonoids, especially quercetin, have been found in the leaves and bark. Chrysin pigment and others may be found in the wood. Essential oil is present in the buds of poplars. Alkaloids are found in the leaves and inflorescences in trace amounts.
In medicine, the genera Salix and Populus have some importance.
The bracts are entire-edged, and the buds are covered by a single bud scale in the form of a cap. The stamens are 1–5, rarely up to 12. Willow species grow throughout the entire Union. Willow bark – Cortex Salicis – is collected from various shrub species in early spring when sap begins to flow. The bark contains many tannins and is used as a tanning agent in the leather industry. In medicine, a decoction of the bark (10:200) was used as an astringent. Additionally, it contains the glycoside salicin, which releases salicylic acid; therefore, the decoction of the bark was used as an anti-inflammatory agent for rheumatism.
The catkins of different willow species are particularly rich in salicin.
Goat Willow – Salix caprea L.
Catkins, collected in early spring, have a tonic effect on heart activity in animal experiments.