CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Salix lapponum

species of plant

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 17, 2025
Entity authorityQ1348662
Source-derived summary

Salix lapponum, the downy willow, is a low, much-branched shrub having a wide distribution in Northern Europe, eastwards to the Altai and western Siberia, and is found as far south as the Pyrenees and Bulgaria. In Scotland, UK, it can be found on rocky mountain slopes and cliffs, generally at altitudes of 200–900 m (660–2,950 ft). It grows to a height of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).

As described in Stace and BSBI Salix lapponum has the following characteristics:

Twigs hairy at first, hairless and rather glossy dark reddish brown later.

Leaves usually lanceolate to 7 cm long by 2.5 cm wide; slightly hairy to hairy on upper side; usually densely hairy on lower side; margins entire or subentire, sometimes a little undulate.

Petiole short, occasionally up to 1 cm long but usually less than 5mm.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Salix lapponum” is species of plant. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Salix, lapponum and species, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current 135-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Salix, lapponum and species is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of plant” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1348662. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Salix lapponum”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Salix lapponum primary sources, Salix lapponum archive and Salix research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Salix lapponum”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Salix lapponum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.