Salix alba

Salix alba L. – White willow

group: 	DIFFUSE-POROUS HARDWOODS

Macroscopic structure of wood

heartwood/sapwood: 	heartwood

description: 	wide sapwood (over 5 cm), yellowish; heartwood light brown (White willow) to reddish brown (willow); feltlike surface in longitudinal sections

rings: 	less visible boundary between rings

vessels:	only micro pores in wood (longitudinal sections smooth, sometime occurrence of very fine grooves)

rays: 	invisible

texture: 	indistinct flatsawn (T) and indistinct radial figure (R); little decorative wood

other: 	occurrence of pith fleck

Microscopic structure of wood

brief overview: 	Ray 1 seriate, HetG; simple perforation plate

ring: 	invisible boundary between early and late wood within ring	X

vessel types and arrangements: 	only microvessels; microvessels solitary or in radial multiples (up to 4)	X

type of vessel perforation: 	simple	R

rays: 	heterogeneous	R, T

width of rays	1	T, (X)

apotracheal parenchyma: 	marginal	X

other: 	thin-walled libriform fibres; pith fleck

Wood properties

density: 	light

ρ 0: 	385 kg/m3

ρ 12-15: 	410 kg/m3

ρ green: 	800 kg/m3

shrinkage: 	low

- volumetric (βV): 	9,7 %

- radial (βR): 	2,4 %

- tangential (βT): 	6,3 %

mechanical properties: 	weak, flexible

ultimate strength in compression ||: 	24 MPa

ultimate strength in bending: 	47 MPa

ultimate strength in tension ||: 	46 MPa

hardness: 	soft

Janka's hardness: 	33 MPa

technological properties: 	no problem with drying, uneasy working

resistance: 	rated as slightly or non-resistant to decay

Wood utilization

wood of willow is better than poplar wood; veneers, plywoods, particleboard, toy bats, clog soles, cricket bats (the surface of cricket bat is compressed during manufacture to make it harder), matches, boxes and pulp industry

References