# Presentation: 904243

## peachleaf  willow 

_*Salix*_ * *_*amygdaloides*_ Anderss.
-  Synonyms:  _*Salix*_ * *_*nigra*_*,  *_*S.*_* * _*gooddingii*_*,* * *_*S.*_* * _*Wrightii*_.
- Other common names;  willow, almond willow, black willow, swamp willow,
- Dudley willow, Goodding willow.

**Food:**
- Young willow shoots were stripped of their bark and eaten.  Young leaves can be eaten for fiber.  The inner bark can be eaten raw, prepared like pasta, or ground into a flour meal.
**Culturally: **
** **Willow is associated with life and stamina.  Its bark was part of a mixture with tobacco for smoking.  Willows were used for making cages, animal traps, fish weirs, water jugs, baskets, drums, mats, furniture, stirrups, tipi pegs or pins, hunting and sweat lodges, meat-drying racks, travois and cradle boards.  The charcoal was used to draw intricate designs on people.  The twigs were bent and used to remove hair from hides.

- Photo courtesy of:  Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA SCS. 1989. *Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species*. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln, NE. Courtesy of _[USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute](http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/WLI/)_. This image is not copyrighted and may be freely used for any purpose. Please credit the artist, original publication if applicable, and the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. The following format is suggested and will be appreciated:  **Robert H. Mohlenbrock** @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / **USDA SCS. 1989. *****Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species*****. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln, NE.**

- Slide developed by Pat Broyles, Soil Conservationist, Manhattan, KS. PMC.  USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

## peachleaf  willow

**Medicinally:**
- Willows were used for a wide variety of ailments.  Aspirin is the modern pharmaceutical equivalent of willow bark tea.  In 1839 salicylic acid was isolated from willow and manufactured synthetically.  About 60 years later the Bayer Company developed a derivative of salicylic acid and aspirin as we know it today was created.
- Teas were made from all portions of the willow and used to treat for joint aches, laryngitis, sore throats, stomachaches, diarrhea, eczema, hay fever, toothaches, prostatitis, satyriasis and bladder problems.
- A poultice of bark was applied to treat skin rashes, sores and open wounds.
- Legs and feet were soaked in a bark bath for muscle cramps.

- Photo courtesy of:  Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA NRCS. 1992. *Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species*. West Region, Sacramento, CA. Courtesy of _[USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute](http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/WLI/)_. This image is not copyrighted and may be freely used for any purpose. Please credit the artist, original publication if applicable, and the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. The following format is suggested and will be appreciated:  **Robert H. Mohlenbrock** @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / **USDA NRCS. 1992. *****Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species*****. West Region, Sacramento, CA.**

- Slide developed by Pat Broyles, Soil Conservationist, Manhattan, KS. PMC.  USDA is an equal opportunity employer.