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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.

? Dwarf Willow secure
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.

External links

• Salicaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Salix herbacea
• NRCS: USDA Plants Profile: Salix herbacea