Saxifraga adscendens |
Saxifraga mertensiana |
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ascending saxifrage, rock saxifrage, wedge-leaf saxifrage |
Merten's or wood or woodland saxifrage, Mertens' saxifrage, wood saxifrage, woodland saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants biennial, sometimes behaving as winter annual, solitary or tufted, not stoloniferous, with caudex. | Plants solitary or in clumps, not stoloniferous, with caudex or short-rhizomatous. |
Leaves | basal and cauline, (basal persistent, compact); petiole absent (cuneate base ± petiolelike); blade oblanceolate to obovate, (2–)3(–5)-toothed or shallowly lobed apically, rarely unlobed (distal often so), (lobes forwardly directed), (2–)4–15 mm, slightly fleshy, margins entire, stipitate glandular-ciliate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrate to stipitate-glandular. |
basal and cauline, (basal persistent, cauline ± inconspicuous); petiole rounded, 2–20 mm; blade round to reniform, irregularly shallowly lobed, 20–80(–100) mm, thin, margins serrate, stipitate glandular-ciliate, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces sparsely hairy. |
Inflorescences | (2–)6–15(–40)-flowered thyrses, (1–)4–25 cm, densely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular; bracts sessile. |
30+-flowered, open, much-branched thyrses, usually some or all flowers replaced by bulbils (sometimes bulbils absent), 15–40 cm, dark purple-tipped stipitate-glandular; bracts (± inconspicuous), petiolate or sessile. |
Flowers | sepals erect, (usually reddish purple), ovate or triangular to oblong, margins stipitate glandular-ciliate, surfaces stipitate-glandular; petals white, not spotted, obovate to oblanceolate, (2–)3–6 mm, equaling or longer than sepals; ovary inferior. |
sepals reflexed (at least in fruit), ovate to elliptic, margins eciliate, surfaces sparsely stipitate-glandular or glabrous; petals white, not spotted, narrowly ovate to elliptic, (3–)4–6 mm, longer than sepals; filaments strongly club-shaped; ovary superior. |
2n | = 22. |
= 36, ca. 48, 50. |
Saxifraga adscendens |
Saxifraga mertensiana |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Moist, often shaded cliff ledges, screes, talus slopes, gravelly stream banks, gravelly alpine meadows | Moist to wet stream banks, mossy cliffs and slopes, waterfall spray zones |
Elevation | 1200-4200 m (3900-13800 ft) | 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT; Europe
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AK; CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
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Discussion | Although the North American plants of Saxifraga adscendens have been known as subsp. oregonensis, expressions of the supposed distinguishing characters appear to overlap completely with the variation found in Europe. The plants produce bulbils on caudices. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Plants of Saxifraga mertensiana bear bulbils in the axils of basal leaves. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 145. | FNA vol. 8, p. 146. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga | Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Muscaria adscendens, S. adscendens subsp. oregonensis, S. adscendens var. oregonensis, S. oregonensis | S. mertensiana var. eastwoodiae |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 405. 1753 , | Bongard: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math. 2: 141. 1832 , |
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