''Salix serpillifolia'' or ''Salix serpyllifolia'' is a
species of
flowering plant in the
family Salicaceae.
Description
''Salix serpillifolia'', also known as thyme-leaved willow, can reach a height of and a length of about . This plant develop woody, dark brown, longitudinally striated, creeping stems. The leaves are tiny, simple,
subsessile
In botany, sessility (meaning "sitting", used in the sense of "resting on the surface") is a characteristic of plant parts (such as flowers and leaves) that have no stalk. Plant parts can also be described as subsessile, that is, not completely ...
, spathulate to obovate, without stipules. The upper side is glabrous, glossy dark green covered with a thin waxy layer. Like all willows this species is
dioecious
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
. Catkins appear after the leaves. They are about 5 mm long, with yellow anthers. Flowers bloom from May to August.
Distribution
It is present in mountains of southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula, the Alps and the Balkans.
Habitat
This species can be found in stony alpine turf, rock crevices and screes at elevation of above sea level.
Uses
''Salix serpillifolia'' contains salicin, the source of salicylic acid in aspirin.
References
*Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia (3 vol.) - Edagricole – 1982
External links
BiolibAlpine Plant EncyclopaediaActa Plantarum
serpillifolia
Plants described in 1772
Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
{{salicaceae-stub