Salix jejuna

A tiny willow restricted to the coastal barrenlands of the NW peninsula of Newfoundland. Alvar formations are uncommon - the burren of Ireland and the alvars of Manitoulin Is. In Ontario are other areas that come to mind. The limestone crevices and the thin soils that conceal the immense fields of fissured limestone are poor for farming, but a great place for specialized plants to grow and evolve; and, salix jejuna is just such an example. Twiggy flat mats sprawl over the surface and will do the same in rather ordinary garden conditions. It will need only some water to carry it through the dry periods. Small rounded leaves on short petioles cloth the stems. Mats can extend to 30 cm in a couple of years.