Photographs: the Burren, Co. Clare

Hoary Rock-rose Helianthemum oelandicum subsp. piloselloides Grianrós liath Family: Cistaceae Flowering May-July. Perennial sub-shrub. Native. Pale yellow flowers with prominent stamens, but only opening in sunshine. The small narrow leaves are in opposite pairs, dark-green above and silver-felted below. A creeping, mat-forming plant with prostrate, twiggy stems. Flower stems to 5cm. Exposed S or SW-facing sites on rocks or in short, limestone grassland. A vulnerable species only found on Inishmore, coastal between Poll Salach and Black Head and in the north of the Burren National Park. Covered by the 1999 Flora Protection Order and classed as Near Threatened

Hoary Rock-rose, Helianthemum oelandicum subsp. piloselloides, Grianrós liath