Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Lizard Head Trail, July 6, 2005.

This miniature Willow can cover large areas above tree line with sparkling pink flowers and relatively large, pointed tip leaves.  In this picture the flowers have passed and the female seed pod is maturing.  Thick, twisted, woody stems wind along the ground below the leaves.  Salix petrophila can grow to eight inches, but it is most commonly just two or three inches tall, so although it covers large areas of tundra, it is hardly ever noticed.

"Petrophila" is Greek for "rock loving".

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Lizard Head Trail, July 2, 2004.
Navajo Lake Trail, July 6, 2004.

On the right are the female flower buds of Salix petrophila. (The thin leaves in front of the flower are from Alpine Bistort.)

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Black Bear Pass Road, July 20, 2008.

Catkins explode in a mass of fluff to carry to seeds.

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Lizard Head Trail, July 6, 2005.

Salix nivalis is even tinier than Salix petrophila, seldomly towering more than an inch above the ground.  Buried in grasses of Alpine Tundra, it is, at first, a challenge to find, but one quickly learns its habitat and then it is easily and commonly found.

"Nivalis" is Latin for "snow" or "of the snow".

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 7, 2004.

The pronounced reticulated pattern in the leaves, the more rounded leaf tips, and the shorter stature distinguish this miniature Willow from Salix petrophila above. The female flowers of S. nivalis are on the left and the male on the right.

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, June 28, 2007.

These male flowers are younger than the ones shown above; the anther sacks are developed on the lower stamens.  Salix nivalis leaves are typically glabrous (smooth, without hairs) but these young plants are hairy on the top, bottom, and edges.