Salix pyrenaica

Dwarf shrub of the willow family, Salix pyrenaica is a species endemic to the Pyrenees, present on both the French and Spanish sides, with some stations reported in the western Alps. It occupies rocky grasslands, stabilized scree, hollows, and humid mountain slopes, generally between 1,600 and 2,800 meters, on various substrates, calcareous or siliceous.

It forms dense and spreading bushy clumps, with branched woody stems, reaching 20 to 50 cm in height. The foliage is one of its most distinctive features: the leaves are oval to elliptical, relatively large for a high-altitude willow, dark green and distinctly shiny on the upper side, with a leathery and slightly wrinkled texture, with an entire or very slightly wavy margin. This shiny and dense surface gives the clumps a compact and varnished appearance that is well recognizable in the field.

The catkins appear simultaneously with the leaves or slightly afterwards. They are short, erect, whitish-green to cream, and abundantly scattered along the branches at flowering time. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August depending on altitude and exposure.

In cultivation, it prefers a fresh, well-drained soil, in full light or very light partial shade. Less demanding than some high-altitude dwarf willows, it adapts quite well to rock gardens provided summer moisture is maintained.