Willow is an evergreen shrub, 0.5-3m tall. The young branches are angular and covered with rust-colored short hairs, later becoming hairless. The capsule is nearly spherical, 4-6mm in diameter, densely covered with gray-brown short hairs; the seed is nearly oval. It blooms from January to May.
Morphology: Willow is an evergreen shrub, 0.5-3m tall. The young branches are angular and covered with rust-colored short hairs, later becoming hairless. The leaves are alternate; petioles are 5-11mm long, sometimes up to 2cm, covered with short hairs; stipules are awl-shaped, slightly enlarged at the base, 5-12mm long, covered with hair, and fall off; leaf blades are lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 5-21cm long, 12-25mm wide, with a gradually pointed apex, often with a convex tip, slightly narrow or blunt at the base, broadly wedge-shaped, entire or with scattered fine teeth, the surface is hairless or sparsely hairy, and the lower surface is slightly hairy on the veins, especially dense along the midrib, with scale-like bracts in the vein intervals; lateral veins are 9-16 pairs, and the reticulate veins are slightly visible. The flowers are small, unisexual, and dioecious; there are no petals; bracts are ovate or nearly triangular, 1-2mm long, with a pointed apex, covered with short hairs on the outside; bracteoles are smaller and similar in shape to the bracts; male flowers have very short pedicels and form cymose inflorescences; sepals are 5, lanceolate or inversely ovate, about 3mm long, with an acute apex and clasping, numerous stamens, the filaments of which are partially fused into bundles, the anthers are oval, with no degenerate ovaries or floral discs; female flowers form spike-like inflorescences; sepals are 5, ovate-lanceolate, 1-1.5mm long, with a gradually pointed apex, covered with short hairs on the outside; ovaries are nearly spherical, densely covered with closely adhering gray hairs, 3-loculed, each locule has 1 ovule, the styles are 3, not divided, and the inner surface has nipple-like protrusions. The capsule is nearly spherical, 4-6mm in diameter, densely covered with gray-brown short hairs; the seed is nearly oval. It blooms from January to May.
Medicinal Uses: Willow clears heat, promotes bile secretion, diuresis, and detoxification. It is used to treat acute and chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis, gallstones, bladder stones, gonorrhea, syphilis, hemorrhoids, bruises, and burns.
1. "List of Medicinal Plants in Guangxi": Diuretic. Used to treat bruises, ulcers, hemorrhoids, gonorrhea, syphilis, bladder stones, and gallstones.
2. "Selected Medicinal Herbs in Yunnan": Clears heat, promotes bile secretion, has anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects. Used to treat acute and chronic hepatitis.
