If you wait long enough
If you wait long enough, you will find the answer!
Back at the end of August I asked if anyone knew the name of this tree. It was the shape that confused me.
Well I don’t like to be beaten so I kept digging! Eventually I discovered that The Landscape Centre at Donegore had the contract for the IKEA site. I phoned and a very nice gentleman informed me that the trees that so fascinated me were Pollarded Salix Alba.
Salix Alba or white Willow is common in the UK. They are fond of wet ground and often flank rivers and streams. The tree above was pollarded (cut off at just above head height) several times to give a rounded shape.
White willow is a traditional basket-making material and was also woven for sheep hurdles. Cricket bats are made from a cultivated derivative of the white willow.
So now you know!
Ian said,
September 24, 2008 at 9:56 am
I should have recognized your photo, but I only know one species of tree it’s called ‘tree’. The Somerset levels, where I grew up, are lined with the withy trees, young willow is used for the basket making, being grown in fields and harvested.
http://www.somersetlevels.co.uk/information.cfm?y=y&page_id=13&cat_id=0
Grannymar said,
September 24, 2008 at 11:08 am
Ian,
I once and only once made a basket…. Now that would make a blog post! Have to did out a photo first!
Laura said,
September 24, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Good research Grannymar.
Grannymar said,
September 24, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Thanks Laura, sorry it took so long.
Magpie11 said,
September 24, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Ah…that makes sense looking at it.
Ian, I don’t know that you’d see many at that stage of growth even down there.
My sister is a basket maker down in that part of the world! I’ll send her the picture and see if she can identify it!
We once did basket making at school in about 1956 and it was with willow not with that cane stuff with wooden bases!
kenju said,
September 24, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I’ve never seen those, but I am glad to know what they are.
Baino said,
September 25, 2008 at 4:24 am
Well thank God for that, now I can sleep at night!
Oi Rev, isnt a cricket bat made from willow?
Magpie 11 said,
September 25, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Doh! Salix is the botanical name for the willow family.
Grannymar said,
September 26, 2008 at 11:29 am
Now you have had several days to study this topic, so exams will be in a months time!!