''Salix lapponum'', the downy willow, is a low, much-branched shrub having a wide distribution in Northern Europe, eastwards to the Altai and western

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

, and is found as far south as the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. In

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, UK, it can be found on rocky mountain slopes and cliffs, generally at altitudes of .Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland, BSBI Handbook No. 4; Meikle; 1984. It grows to a height of . As described in Stace''New Flora of the British Isles'';

Clive Stace Clive Anthony Stace (born 1938) is a British botanist and botanical author. He studied at King's College London, graduated from University of London in 1959 and then studied at the Natural History Museum, London. He was awarded a PhD in 1963. H ...

; Third edition; 2011 printing. and BSBI ''Salix lapponum'' has the following characteristics: * Twigs hairy at first, hairless and rather glossy dark reddish brown later. * Leaves usually lanceolate to 7 cm long by 2.5 cm wide; slightly hairy to hairy on upper side; usually densely hairy on lower side; margins entire or subentire, sometimes a little undulate. * Petiole short, occasionally up to 1 cm long but usually less than 5mm. Salix lapponum Leaf upper side.JPG, Upper surface of leaf Salix lapponum Leaf under side.JPG, Lower surface of leaf Salix lapponum Twig.JPG, View showing twig and leaf petioles

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1348662 lapponum Flora of temperate Asia Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus