About Salix lapponum L.
Salix lapponum, commonly known as the downy willow, is a low, heavily branched shrub. It has a broad natural range across Northern Europe, extending east to the Altai Mountains and western Siberia, and reaching as far south as the Pyrenees and Bulgaria. In Scotland, United Kingdom, it grows on rocky mountain slopes and cliffs, typically at altitudes between 200 and 900 m (660–2,950 ft). This species reaches a maximum height of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).
As documented by Stace and the BSBI, Salix lapponum has the following distinguishing traits: Its twigs are hairy when young, becoming hairless, quite glossy, and dark reddish brown as they mature. Its leaves are generally lanceolate, growing up to 7 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The upper leaf surface ranges from slightly hairy to fully hairy, while the lower leaf surface is usually densely hairy. Leaf margins are entire or nearly entire, and sometimes slightly wavy. The leaf petiole is short; it may occasionally reach 1 cm in length, but is usually shorter than 5 mm.
