Salix herbacea

Read about Salix herbacea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Salix herbacea, Linn. A very dwarf species usually not more than an inch or so in height, forming dense mats: lvs. orbicular, serrate, usually emarginate at both base and apex. Alpine regions of Amer. and Eurasia., White Mts., N. H. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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Dwarf Willow

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Drawing of Dwarf Willow

Plant Info

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Salicaceae
Genus:	Salix
Species:	S. herbacea

Binomial name

Salix herbacea
L.

The Dwarf Willow (Salix herbacea, also known as the Least Willow or Snowbed Willow) is the most common of a group of tiny creeping willows (family Salicaceae). It is the smallest tree in the world. It is adapted to survive in harsh arctic and sub-arctic environments, and has a wide distribution on both sides of the North Atlantic, in arctic northwest Asia, northern Europe, Greenland, and eastern Canada, and further south on high mountains, south to the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Rila in Europe, and the northern Appalachian Mountains in New York, United States. It grows in tundra and rocky moorland, usually at over 1500 m altitude in the south of its range.

It typically grows to only 1-6 cm in height and has round, shiny green leaves 1-2 cm long and broad. Like the rest of the willows, Dwarf Willow is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate plants. As a result the plant's appearance varies; the female catkins are red-coloured, while the male catkins are yellow-coloured.

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