Opatówek, near Kalisz

It is native in the Alps, Pyrenees and the Carpathians, but has been naturalised by cultivation across a much wider area. The flowers are a good early source of nectar for bees. Edible plant - young shoots raw or cooked, they are not very palatable but rich in vitamin C; young catkin-bearing shoots raw or cooked. Herbal plant - the bark, twigs, leaves, leaf buds, and flower buds of all Salix species contain phenolic glycosides, particularly salicin and salicortin, which breaks down when the plant material is damaged to produce salicin. Useful plant - planted for dune and bank stabilization, recovering lignite mining areas in Germany and Poland; trees are fast growing and tolerate maritime exposure so can be grown as a shelterbelt.