What genus contains willow trees?

What genus contains willow trees? The answer is Salix.

Salix is the botanical genus comprising willows, along with trees and shrubs commonly called sallows and osiers. It contains roughly 350 species, most of them deciduous and associated with moist soils in cold or temperate regions. Species range from tall riverside trees to creeping alpine and Arctic shrubs.

Willows are especially recognizable for their narrow leaves, flexible branches, and catkins. In most species, male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Their roots readily produce new growth, and many willow cuttings can root directly when placed in damp soil.

Salix also has an important connection with medicine: willow bark contains salicin, a compound related to the development of aspirin. The genus name was used in ancient Latin, while several willow species have long been cultivated for basketry, stream-bank stabilization, and ornamental planting.

Do not confuse the genus with a single species such as the white willow, Salix alba. Salix is the broader taxonomic group containing that species and hundreds of others.