Willow Tree
Willows are amongst the hardiest of plants, extending farther north beyond the Arctic Circle than any other woody plant. The willow occurs throughout Scotland and tends to be found in damp places such as riverbanks and marshy hollows.
The flowers of the willow appear as catkins and are universally recognised in spring as ‘Pussy Willows’, the catkins everybody gathered as children. The catkins look particularly attractive in the spring sunshine and are well attended by bees. As summer approaches silvery-green leaves follow.
The Willow is involved in folklore and legends around the world, for example in China the Willow has come to symbolise renewal, growth, vitality and immortality due to its ability to quickly regrow from cuttings or broken branches on the ground.
The Gaelic words for willow are shellach, or suil, and feature in Scottish place names such as Achnashellach in Ross-shire, Glensuileag in Inverness-shire and Corrieshalloch on Speyside. These names would have referred to both the presence of willow and the attendant industries utilising the willow's gifts.
It was common for places to be named after abundant local plants. Such as Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow - the place of the willows - the Scots word for willow being saugh. Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed the aptly Willow Tea Rooms (1904) in Sauchiehall Street for Kate Cranston and used the willow motif in his interior design.