Feltleaf Wiillow (Salix alaxensis)

Family: Salicaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Salix alaxensis is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft 10in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in June. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Bees. The plant is not self-fertile.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Shoots, Bark/Inner Bark

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet flavour, it has been eaten as a winter titbit. — Inner bark - raw or cooked.; A sweet flavour, it has been eaten as a winter titbit.; The taste is somewhat like watermelon or cucumber.; The bark has been used as a survival food.

Habitat & North American Range

Moist tundra and gravels. Prefers rocky soils along the sides of rivers and lakes. Grows up to and beyond the tree-line, when it becomes a small recumbent low-spreading shrub. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)