Hoary Rockrose is a very small shrub. The flowers have five petals and are a pale yellow. The small narrow leaves are greenish grey above and white beneath. The stems creep and make the plant form a small mat.
This pretty little plant makes tiny spreading clumps in the bare limestone pavements of west Clare, where it is prolific. It is found also on Inishmore.
Hoary Rockrose was first reported in Ireland in 1806 by the enthusiastic plant hunter James Mackay, Curator of Dublin's Trinity College Botanic Garden. The plant should not be confused with the larger-flowered Common Rockrose, Helianthemum chamaecistus, common in Britain but in Ireland only found in one place near Ballintra, in Donegal. The name Helianthemum is derived from the Greek word for sunflower.
The flowers are in bloom in May and June.
Hoary Rockrose is rare in Britain. It grows on limestone pastures in Wales, Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria. It is found, given the right conditions, in Europe, including Sicily and Macedonia, in the Caucasus, and in Morocco and Algeria.