Saxifraga cespitosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Saxifraga
Species:
S. cespitosa
Binomial name
Saxifraga cespitosa
Synonyms

Saxifraga caespitosa (orth. var.)

Saxifraga cespitosa, the tufted alpine saxifrage[1] or tufted saxifrage, is a flower common to many arctic heights. It appears further south in mountainous areas of the Alps, Norway, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Siberia, western North America and Greenland.

Densely tufted from a stout taproot, the plant has very short stems with withered, dead leaves at the base. The leaves have three to five lobes; both leaves and calyx exhibit trichomes in the form of glandular hair. Flowering stems range from 5โ€“10 cm, with one or two flowers per stem. Its petals are white, twice the length of the calyx lobes. Smaller specimens, with shorter stems and smaller, yellowish-greenish petals (with uniflorous variants), are rather frequent.

The tufted saxifrage grows on ledges and gravelly places.

It became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act.[2]

References

  1. โ†‘ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Saxifraga caespitosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  2. โ†‘ "Caithness CWS - Caithness Field Club - Annual Bulletins - 1975 - October - Conservation".


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