Weeds in our Area (Part Ninety)
By Bob and Ena McIntyre, Botanical Society of S.A. – Garden Route
Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
The Weeping Willow (origin China) has strong connections with the early history of our country. Evidently its dispersal throughout the country came about at the time the Trekkers moved away and planted these hardy trees wherever they went or rested, invariably close to water-courses. It is indeed a beautiful and very graceful tree. Already during the 1950’s gardening books made a point of warning gardeners to plant the Willow alone near ponds and pools and away from flower-beds as its wide-spreading roots affected the fertility of adjacent ground. The plants are abundant from the Southern Cape right through to the northern reaches of the republic.
Willows feature strongly in the little Karoo, one can hardly imagine the riverbanks without any and I recall very clearly an enormous specimen perched on the edge of a permanent natural pool where I spent many happy hours watching masked weavers noisily building their nests.
Identification: The Willow is easily recognisable by its very distinctive shape. The branchlets are long and slender, often drooping almost to the ground. The trees are deciduous and between 5 – 8m in height. The leaves are bright green above and pale beneath. In spring the young leaves are silky and hairy becoming hairless and smooth in summer. Leaf margins are finely toothed, ending in a long tapering point. The flowers are very small catkins of approximately 20mm long appearing August – October. Fruits are small greenish capsules without stalks. Salix babylonica’s invasive status is that of transformer, invading watercourses. It is a declared Category 2 invader (grown under controlled conditions only)
Control: The Willow reproduces from fallen branches. No herbicide is registered and manual control is therefore the best solution. Remove young plants by hand and if you have a willow on your property, simply collect fallen branches before they sprout.
Indigenous Substitutes: Salix mucronata subsp.capensis (Cape Willow). Rhus pendulina (White Karee, Rhus leptodictya (Bergkaree)
References: “ALIEN WEEDS AND INVASIVE PLANTS”; Lesley Henderson. Copyright © 2001 Agricultural Research Council, Ornamental Shrubs and Trees for Gardens in SA; Una v/d Spuy, A-Z of Gardening in SA; W G Sheat