least willow
noun› Either of two species of willow:
1
Salix herbacea, a tiny creeping shrub widely distributed in alpine and Arctic environments.
- The leaves of the least willow (S. herbacea), soaked in water, are employed in Iceland for tanning leather.1848, Cuthbert William Johnson, The Farmer's Encyclopædia, page 1142:
- The species that characterize the heathland are wooly willow (Salix lanata), broadleaved willow (Salix callicorpea) and least willow (Salix herbacea), especially wooly willow.2000, Geothermal Training in Iceland, page 95:
1 more example
- In terms of high-altitude survival, the least willow (S. herbacea) occurs at 2170 m in central Norway.2008, R. M. M. Crawford, Plants at the Margin: Ecological Limits and Climate Change, →ISBN, page 314:
2
Salix rotundifolia, a densely matted shrub growing in tundral regions.
- Closely related to least willow (Salix rotundifolia) but differs in having large, slightly hairy capsules, abundant skeletonized leaves, and 3-5 pairs of veins on leaves instead of 2-3 pairs in least willow.1972, Agriculture Handbook, number 410, page 90:
- Least willow is found in alpine and arctic tundra in a variety of vegetation types from dry scree to cool, wet slopes.2010, Les Viereck, Alaska Trees and Shrubs, →ISBN, page 143: