190 THE HIGH ALPINE PLANTS 



The Eeticulate Willow ascends to 10,450 feet on 

 Monte Eosa. It is fond of calcareous rocks. It is, 

 of course, a British plant, though confined to some 

 of our loftiest hills in Scotland. 



THE DWARF WILLOW. 



The Dwarf Willow (Salix herbacea, Linn.) was 

 described by Linnaeus as " the smallest of all trees " 

 (minima inter omnes arbores). It is essentially 

 similar in habit to the Eeticulate Willow, from which 

 it differs only in detail. It is also a British plant. 



The leaves are smaller, possessing only a short 

 stalk, and are quite destitute of hairs underneath. 

 They are green and shining on both sides, and have 

 a net nervation. They are finely but bluntly toothed 

 at the margin. The catkins are very small and few 

 flowered, and are borne on short stalks. 



There are several other Willows such as Salix 

 glauca, Linn., which is not infrequent in the High 

 Alps, and has lance-like leaves with long, straight, 

 silky hairs on both sides, also Salix retusa, Linn., 

 S. ccesia, Vill., and others which are found in the 

 Alpine zone but only the Eeticulate and Dwarf 

 Willows are exclusively High Alpine. 



HIGH ALPINE EOSETTE PLANTS. 



In the typical rosette plant, the above-ground 

 portion of the stem is very short, and the bases of 

 the leaves are all crowded together in the form of a 



