Saxifraga

Bog saxifrage Saxifraga hirculus, photographed by Rolf Stange.

Belongs within: Saxifragaceae.

Saxifraga, the saxifrages, is a large genus of herbaceous plants found mostly in northern temperate and arctic regions. Most species have leaves distributed along the flowering stem; species with leaves growing as a basal rosette have recently been separated as the genus Micranthes. The strawberry-geranium S. stolonifera of eastern Asia has a branched caudex that generally produces conspicuous stolons (Hickman 1993).

Characters (from Hickman 1993): Plant generally more or less hairy, often glandular; caudex or rhizome generally not woody, generally scaly. Leaf blade oblanceolate to round, base tapered to reniform, margin entire or toothed. Inflorescence with one to many flowers; bracts scale-like. Flower with hypanthium free or more or less fused to ovary; petals sometimes spotted; stamens 10, filaments generally flat; pistil 1 (chambers 2, placentas 2, axile) or 2 (each with 1 chamber, 1 marginal placenta), ovary superior to more or less inferior (sometimes more superior in fruit), styles 2, free throughout. Fruit a capsule or 2 follicles.

<==Saxifraga
    |--S. sect. Saxifraga BGS05 [incl. Zahlbrucknera Rchb. 1832 BGS05, KC01]
    |    `--*S. granulata BGS05
    |--S. sect. Ciliatae [incl. S. sect. Hirculus] WO88
    |    |--S. amabilis Ohba & Wakabayashi 1987 WO88
    |    |--S. aristulata WO88
    |    |--S. brachypoda WO88
    |    |    |--S. b. var. brachypoda WO88
    |    |    `--S. b. var. fimbriata WO88
    |    |--S. brunonis WO88
    |    |--S. chumbiensis WO88
    |    |--S. cordigera WO88
    |    |--S. diversifolia WO88
    |    |--S. engleriana WO88
    |    |--S. glabricaulis WO88
    |    |--S. harai Ohba & Wakabayashi 1987 WO88
    |    |--S. hirculus WO88
    |    |--S. hispidula WO88
    |    |--S. hookeri WO88
    |    |--S. jacquemontiana WO88
    |    |--S. lepida WO88
    |    |--S. lychnitis WO88
    |    |--S. mallae Ohba & Wakabayashi 1987 WO88
    |    |--S. microphylla WO88
    |    |--S. montanella WO88
    |    |--S. moorcroftiana WO88
    |    |--S. nakaoi WO88
    |    |--S. nigroglandulosa WO88
    |    |--S. palpebrata WO88
    |    |--S. parnassifolia WO88
    |    |--S. pilifera WO88
    |    |--S. saginoides WO88
    |    |--S. sikkimensis WO88
    |    |--S. sphaeradena WO88
    |    |    |--S. s. ssp. sphaeradena WO88
    |    |    `--S. s. ssp. dhwojii WO88
    |    `--S. strigosa WO88
    `--S. sect. Porophyllum [incl. S. sect. Kabschia] WO88
         |--S. afghanica WO88
         |--S. andersonii WO88
         |--S. hypostoma WO88
         |--S. subsessiliflora WO88
         `--S. williamsii WO88

Saxifraga incertae sedis:
  S. adscendens C55b
  S. affinis C55b
  S. aizoides A16
  S. aizoon C55a
  S. ajugaefolia C55a
  S. alboffiana D03
  S. aprica H93
  S. asarifolia O88
  S. bicuspidata D03
  S. bryoides C55a
  S. bryophora H93
  S. bulbifera H91
  S. caesia PS98
  S. californica [incl. S. fallax] H93
  S. caveana O88
  S. cernua C55b
  S. cespitosa [incl. S. cespitosa var. emarginata] H93
  S. consanguinea O88
  S. contraria O88
  S. controversa C55a
  S. cordillerarum D03
    |--S. c. var. cordillerarum D03
    `--S. c. var. magellanica D03
  S. corymbosa H09
  S. cotyledon C55b
  S. debilis H93
  S. elegans C55b
  S. elliptica O88
  S. eriophora M69
  S. eschscholtzia YY22
  S. excellens O88
  S. ferruginea H93
  S. georgei O88
  S. geum C55b
  S. granulifera O88
  S. hemisphaerica O88
  S. hirculoides O88
  S. hirsuta C55b
  S. hirta C55b
  S. howellii H93
  S. humilis O88
  S. integrifolia NDA05
  S. kingiana O88
  S. kumaunensis O88
  S. lamninamensis O88
  S. latiflora O88
  S. llonakhensis O88
  S. lowndesii O88
  S. macrostigma YY22
  S. marshallii H93
  S. melanocentra O88
  S. mertensiana Bong. 1832 CD07
  S. mira O88
  S. montana O88
    |--S. m. f. montana O88
    `--S. m. f. rubra O88
  S. mucronulata O88
    |--S. m. ssp. mucronulata O88
    `--S. m. ssp. sikkimensis O88
  S. mutata H09
    |--S. m. ssp. mutata H09
    `--S. m. ssp. demissa H09
  S. namdoensis O88
  S. nanella O88
  S. neopropagulifera O88
  S. nidifica H93
    |--S. n. var. nidifica H93
    `--S. n. var. claytoniifolia H93
  S. nutans O88
  S. nuttallii H93
  S. odontoloma [incl. S. aestivalis] H93
  S. oppositifolia YY22
  S. oregana H93
  S. paniculata S96
  S. parva O88
  S. pensylvanica H93
  S. perpusilla O88
  S. pseudo-pallida O88
  S. pulvinaria O88
  S. punctulata O88
  S. rhodopetala O88
  S. rivularis H93
  S. rolwalingensis O88
  S. rosacea M-JT30
  S. rufidula [incl. S. aequidentata] H93
  S. sibirica O88
  S. staintonii O88
  S. stella-aurea O88
    |--S. s. var. stella-aurea O88
    `--S. s. var. polyadena O88
  S. stenophylla O88
    |--S. s. ssp. stenophylla O88
    `--S. s. ssp. hoffmeisteri O88
  S. stolitzkae O88
  S. stolonifera [incl. S. sarmentosa] H93
  S. tangutica O88
  S. tentaculata O88
  S. tolmiei H93
  S. tricuspidata H44
  S. umbrosa C55b
  S. zimmermannii O88

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Abrams, L. 1944. Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States vol. 2. Stanford University Press.

[A16] Alexander, C. P. 1916. New or little-known crane-flies from the United States and Canada: Tipulidae, Diptera, Part 2. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 67 (3): 458–514, pls 16–21.

[BGS05] Banfi, E., G. Galasso & A. Soldano. 2005. Notes on systematics and taxonomy for the Italian vascular flora. 1. Atti Soc. It. Sci. Nat. Museo Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano 146 (2): 219–244.

[C55a] Candolle, A. de. 1855a. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 1. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[C55b] Candolle, A. de. 1855b. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[CD07] Cantino, P. D., J. A. Doyle, S. W. Graham, W. S. Judd, R. G. Olmstead, D. E. Soltis, P. S. Soltis & M. J. Donoghue. 2007. Towards a phylogenetic nomenclature of Tracheophyta. Taxon 56 (3): E1–E44.

[D03] Dusén, P. 1903. The vegetation of western Patagonia. In: Scott, W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896–1899 vol. 8. Botany pp. 1–34. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).

[H44] Hammer, M. 1944. Studies on the oribatids and collemboles of Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 141 (3): 1–210.

[H09] Heltmann, H. 2009. Der Königstein (Piatra Craiului), die Perle der Burzenländer Gebirge. Mauritiana 20 (3): 515–527.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[H91] Hubálek, Z. 1991. Biogeographic indication of natural foci of tick-borne infections. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 1 pp. 255–260. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[KC01] Kirk, P. M., P. F. Cannon, J. C. David & J. A. Stalpers. 2001. Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi 9^th ed. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).

[M-JT30] Marsden-Jones, E. M., & W. B. Turrill. 1930. Hybridization in certain genera of the British flora. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London 141: 36.

[M69] Moran, R. 1969. Twelve new dicots from Baja California, Mexico. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 15 (17): 265–295.

[NDA05] Nickrent, D. L., J. P. Der & F. E. Anderson. 2005. Discovery of the photosynthetic relatives of the "Maltese mushroom" Cynomorium. BMC Evolutionary Biology 5: 38.

[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.

[PS98] Prosser, F., & S. Scortegagna. 1998. Primula recubariensis, a new species of Primula sect. Auricula Duby endemic to the SE Prealps, Italy. Willdenowia 28: 27–46.

[S96] Schatz, H. 1996. Oribatid mites (Oribatida) in alpine dry meadows (Austria, central Alps). In: Mitchell, R., D. J. Horn, G. R. Needham & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 1. Proceedings pp. 633–635. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[WO88] Wakabayashi, M., & H. Ohba. 1988. Cytotaxonomic study of the Himalayan Saxifraga. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 71–90.

[YY22] Yampolsky, C., & H. Yampolsky. 1922. Distribution of sex forms in the phanerogamic flora. Bibliotheca Genetica 3: 1–62.

Last updated: 26 March 2022.