Salix sepulcralis group inheritied from its parent the twisted and contorted branches, as well as being more cold-tolerant, as "S. babylonica" var." matsudana" is native to northern China and Korea. These trees are usually no more than tall. Leaves are finely serrulate, pubescent or silky when young. Ovaries are short and flask-shaped, not much longer than the subtending catkin scale. They are usually intermediate between the parent species, showing the typical weeping willow appearance with leaves that are pale glaucous below. But as an ornamental tree with high diversity, trees may look closer to either parent or different entirely. Salix sepulcralis group The
Salix alba Pliny the Elder and others believed willow bark could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers. It has long been used in Europe and China for the attempted treatment of these conditions. This remedy is also mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria. The first "clinical trial" was reported by Reverend Edward Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, England, in 1763 with a successful treatment of malarial fever with the willow bark. The bark is often macerated in ethanol to produce a tincture. The active extract of the bark, called salicin, after the Latin name "Salix",