It grows in marshy places; and is cultivated in China, the fruit having a supposed value as a diuretic and anti-phthisic. It was cultivated by John Gerard, author of the famous Herball, at the end of the 16th century as a tender annual.
John Gerard (Herball, p. 1228) describes it as sweet willow or gaule, and refers to its use in beer or ale.
This and the sycamore were described by Gerard in 1597 (Herball, p. 1299), the latter being "a stranger to England."
