willow

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NOTE: there is rarely any "standard" or "typical" look for a wood so take what's in this table with a grain of salt
the REST of the pictures on this page will give you a better overall feel for this wood

willow / Salix spp.
Salix spp. of the family Salicaceae. There are almost 100 species from the genus Salix that have willow as all or part of one or more of their common names and I have no idea which of them are represented on this page except as specifically stated with the pics. ALSO, there are at least another 70 unrelated species from about 30 genera that have willow as all or part of one or more of their common names and I have no idea whether or not some of those might be mixed in here as well.

3" x 3" flat cut, 3" x 3" quartersawn, 1" wide end grain, and a 1/4" x 1/4" end grain closeup.

Diffuse porous (sometimes semi-diffuse porous) with clear growth ring boundaries due to marginal parenchyma. Pores are small to medium, occasionally large, usually in small groups. Rays are faint, often not even visible at 10X, and with close spacing.

A note about "weeping willow". It is sometimes erroneously believed that weeping willow in North America is only Salix babylonica but that is not true. In North America and Europe, it is most likely Salix babylonica (weeping willow, European weeping willow), but could also be Salix alba (gold weeping willow, European weeping willow). In South America it's probably Salix pendula (green weeping willow) and in Asian it's probably Salix blanda (weeping willow).

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of Bebb willow / Salix bebbiana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Bebb willow / Salix bebbiana with light quilting --- HUGE enlargements are present. The quilting is VERY hard to see in the pics and is only slightly more visible in the wood itself.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of figured Bebb willow / Salix bebbiana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The figure on this piece is a somewhat faint, but tight, curl that, were it stronger, might be called fiddleback. Despite my best efforts, the color correction has left a faint greenish tint in the pics that his not in the wood. The color in the unfigured Bebb willow sample above this is better.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Australian willow / Salix babylonica x alba --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The label had it as Salix matsudana but that's just a synonym for Salix babylonica so Mark changed in on the label.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of black willow / Salix nigra

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- both are a bit too washed out and should be a bit more brownish

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of black willow / Salix nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of black willow / Salix nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of black willow / Salix nigra. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION B

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

both sides of a sample plank of black willow / Salix nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of corkscrew willow / Salix matsudana (a synonym of Salix babylonica)

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- both of these just show the ring spacing in a crushed end grain; no details can be seen

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above --- despite some nasty scratches on the left side, most of this pic shows the fine grain details

both sides of a sample plank of corkscrew willow / Salix matsudana (a synonym of Salix babylonica) --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of peachleaf willow / Salix amygdaloides

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- the closeup should be a bit more brown, not slightly purpleish

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of peachleaf willow / Salix amygdaloides --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of arryo willow / Salix lasiolepsis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Australian willow / Salix matsudana x alba (a synonym of Salix babylonica x alba) --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of coastal plain willow / Salix caroliniana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of flat cut coastal plain willow / Salix caroliniana --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

plank and end grain, no idea which Salix spp. this is

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of crack willow / Salix fragilis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of crack willow / Salix fragilis --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides and both ends of a sample piece listed as "crack" willow

end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- this is the upside down version of the 2nd pic

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank sold to me as weeping willow / Salix babylonica --- the crack in this sample plank is not a big deal but is not unusual in the frequent poor quality of the samples I bought from the IWCS

end grain and end grain closeup of the sample plank directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of weeping willow / Salix babylonica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Babylon willow / Salix babylonica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The vendor of this sample listed it as "cluster burl" which is, I think, quite optimistic as there are just a few scattered eyes in one small area and while that DOES meet the technical definition of "cluster burl" I don't agree with its application in this case. On the other hand I have to admit that my own preferred designation of "messed up swirly grain" isn't a very attractive name for marketing

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of pussy willow / Salix discolor --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of pussy willow / Salix discolor --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of pussy willow / Salix discolor --- HUGE enlargments are present. Although it was not stated as a condition of this sample when I bought it, it is rife with white rot and thus is not representative of the wood

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of pussy willow / Salix discolor --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Babylon weeping willow burl / Salix babylonica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. I couldn't get the color correction quite right on this one --- the sapwood should be more white, less pink and the heartwood should be a little darker.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Hooker willow / Salix hookerana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

a sample plank and end grain of Pacific willow / Salix lasiandra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of shining willow / Salix lucida --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of shining willow / Salix lucida --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The radical difference in appearance of the two sides is because, as you can see in the end grain shot below, this is a laminated piece and one side shows 3 different heartwood sections whereas the other is all sapwood.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of pussy willow / Salix discolor --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of goat willow / Salix caprea --- HUGE enlargements are present. There is just slightly more red in these pics than in the wood ... it definitely had a strong reddish tinge, but not quite as strong as in these pics.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of goat willow / Salix caprea --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was contributed to the site by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Note that the second face was sanded to 240 grit and the first face was not and this accounts for the noticeable difference in color between the two and the better resolution of the detail characteristics as seen in the second one.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above. The color on the end grain shot is a bit off.

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sandbar willow / Salix exigua --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sandbar willow / Salix exigua --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sandbar willow / Salix exigua --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sandbar willow / Salix exigua --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Scouler willow / Salix scoulerana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of sharpleaf willow / Salix acutifolia --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

first face and the end grain of a sample of willow. This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION B

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above.

first face and the end grain of a sample of swamp willow / Salix spp. --- This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION C

the second face, before and after slicing off 1/8" showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.

end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above

veneer with a light curl

veneer

a cube, approximately 2" on each side, of spalted weeping willow cut from a stump in my back yard and treated with lindseed oil about 20 years before this pic was taken and not touched in between.

The Wood Book pics

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
bigelow willow (Salix lasiolepis) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
black willow (Salix nigra) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
golden willow (Salix nuttalli) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
longstalk willow (Salix longipes) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
Missouri willow (Salix eriocephala; Hough has it listed as Salix missouriensis which is now considered just a synonym for Salix eriocephala) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views.

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
peach willow (Salix amygdaloides) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
red bush willow (Salix laevigata) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
sandbar willow (Salix fluviatilis) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
silky willow (Salix sitchensis) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
Western willow (Salix lasiandra) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
white willow (Salix alba) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views

web pics:

log section

flat cut plank

quartersawn plank

planks

plank listed as "diamond" willow

end grain of a piece specifically listed as Salix caprea and with the common name European goat willow

end grain of a piece listed as weeping willow

plank listed as white willow / Salix alba

planks and closeup

planks listed as "black" willow (a common name that encompasses several Salix species)

plank --- color seems unlikely to me (too rich)

veneer with a color and vibrancy that is outside my (admittedly limited) experience of this species

curly veneer

tree sections, all from the same vendor (same tree, for that matter). The last one was listed as "crotch" but I'm not impressed.

bowl blank and closeups

bowl blanks

bowl blank listed as black willow

listed as half of a broken bowl blank --- appears to be curly and the color is so rich that I wonder if perhaps it has been moistened in some way.

this was listed as willow veneer, but it looks EXACTLY like a batch of veneer that I bought that was listed (I believe correctly) as European cherry, so I'll do some more research.

burl veneer

Diamond willow

This is a very unusual wood in that it grows with diamond-shaped indentations along the branches. It is prized by cane makers because of the unique look.

I have seen the following species listed as diamond willow: Salix bebbiana, Salix prolixa, Salix eriocephala, and Salix sitchensis

a diamond willow cane; pics contributed by Larry Weiss, whom I thank. This cane has been finished and judging by the looks, has been in use for quite a while. This is a great example of diamond willow.

willow products:

two views of a willow burl hollow form that is in progress --- both levels of enlargement are present, so the grain can be seen very clearly

two views of a bowl made from a diamond willow root ball - both levels of enlargement are present

bowls just listed as willow

bowl listed as black willow

black willow bowls turned and photographed by Tom Pleatman, whom I thank for these pics and other contributions to the site. Big enlargements are present.

willow hollow form

willow platter. This was not listed as crotch wood but it obviously is (or possibly stump/root wood)