Editing Salix caprea (section)

==Cultivation and uses==
{{See also|Pussy willow}}
[[File:Willow whistle.jpg|thumb|170px|A willow flute]]
A small number of [[cultivar]]s have been selected for garden use. The most common is ''S. caprea'' 'Kilmarnock', discovered by [[James Smith (Scottish botanist)|James Smith]], with stiffly pendulous shoots forming a mop-head; it is a male clone. A similar female clone is ''S. caprea'' 'Weeping Sally'. As they do not form a leader, they are [[grafting|grafted]] on erect stems of other willows; the height of these cultivars is determined by the height at which the graft is made.<ref name=rushforth/> Plants can also be grown from greenwood cuttings, which make attractive creeping mounds. Hardwood cuttings are often difficult to root.

Both [[tannin]] and [[salicin]] can be extracted from goat willow bark. The tree is not considered a good source of [[timber]], as its wood is both brittle and known to crackle violently if burned.

As with the closely related ''[[Salix discolor]]'' (American pussy willow), it is also often grown for cut flowers. See [[Pussy willow]] for further cultural information, which applies to both species.

In [[North Europe]] it has been fairly common to make [[willow flute]]s from goat willow cuttings.

In [[Germany]], [[Hungary]], north of [[Slovakia]], [[Poland]],  [[Ukraine]] and many parts of [[Finland]], the just-opened catkins are used like the olive branches on [[Palm Sunday]].