Abstract: Willows had ideal biological characteristics for phytoremediation, such as high biomass, fast-growing, easy propagation and high transpiration ability. Relevant studies showed that willows could effectively remove nitrogen, phosphorus from contaminated environment through plant-soil, plant-sand, constructed wetland and river buffer zones. Willows could remediate organic pollutants such as ethanol, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Willows could also remove heavy metals through natural phytoremediation and induced phytoremediation (chelators, arbuscular myconhizal fungi). The phytoremediation efficiency of willows was strongly correlated with species or clones, soil types and hydrological regime. In the future, more strength should be put toward to explore the bioenergy potential of willow along with environment remediation techniques, and more efforts should be devoted to the screening and evaluation of willow species for environmental phytoremediation.

Key words: willows (Salix spp.), eutrophication, heavy metals, organic pollution, phytoremediation