Salix reticulata

Dwarf shrub of the willow family, Salix reticulata is circum-arctic and circumboreal-alpine, found in the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as in the high European mountains, from the Pyrenees to the Carpathians and the Alps, generally between 1,800 and 3,000 meters. It colonizes limestone rocks, crevices, stabilized screes, and stony alpine lawns, often on limestone substrate but also on silica.

It forms very low creeping tufts, with woody stems spreading strictly at ground level or hugging the surface of rocks, with a height not exceeding 5 to 10 cm. The most immediately striking feature of the species is the texture of its leaves, deeply and finely reticulated on the upper side, this network of prominent veins giving it a distinctly embossed or blistered appearance unique in the genus. The leaves are oval to sub-orbicular, dark and matte green above, whitish to grayish and slightly tomentose below, with entire margins. The young leaves are covered with a well-visible silky pubescence.

The catkins appear after the leaves, erect, short and cylindrical, pink to wine-red at the female stage, borne on short leafy peduncles. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it occurs from May to June.

In cultivation, Salix reticulata requires a mineral, well-drained substrate, preferably limestone, in full light, with moderate but regular humidity. It is suitable for well-tended alpine rockeries, crevice gardens, and specialized containers, where its sculpted foliage attracts attention well beyond the flowering period.