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Aleut saxifrage, Aleutian saxifrage

alpine-brook saxifrage, weak saxifrage

Habit Plants mat-forming, not stoloniferous, rhizomatous. Plants (delicate), loosely tufted or matted, (green to purple), stoloniferous, weakly rhizomatous, (with bulbils in axils of basal leaves).
Leaves

basal and cauline, (basal crowded, cauline 1–2);

petiole absent;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, unlobed, 3–6 mm, fleshy, margins entire, eciliate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

basal and cauline;

petiole ± flattened, 2–30(–50) mm;

blade reniform, 3–5(–7)-lobed (lobes rounded, sometimes ± obtuse, distalmost unlobed), (2.6–)3.7–5.2(–7.4) mm, slightly fleshy, margins entire, eciliate or sparsely glandular-ciliate, without lime-secreting hydathodes (with nonsecreting hydathodes at lobe apices), apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers, 0.5–2 cm, densely pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts sessile.

2–3(–5)-flowered cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, (flowers pedicellate), 1.7–7 cm, glabrous or sparsely to ± densely tangled, pink-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts (2–3), petiolate, (unlobed or 1–3-lobed, reduced).

Flowers

sepals reflexed, oblong to ovate or triangular, margins stipitate-glandular, surfaces glabrous;

petals greenish yellow, not spotted, elliptic to narrowly obovate, 2–3 mm, ± equaling sepals;

ovary superior.

(hypanthium U-shaped in longisection);

sepals erect, (sometimes rusty brown), elliptic to ovate, margins eciliate or sparsely glandular-ciliate, glabrous or sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular;

petals white, sometimes pink tinged, not spotted, oblong to elliptic, 2–6 mm, to 2–3 times length of sepals;

ovary 1/2 inferior.

Saxifraga aleutica

Saxifraga rivularis

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Gravelly areas, hill and mountain tops
Elevation 200-1200 m (700-3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NH; NU; QC; n Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Saxifraga aleutica is found on the Aleutian Islands.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Some reports of Saxifraga sibirica Linnaeus from Canada are misidentifications of this species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Plants wholly green or purple only in inflorescences; hair crosswalls usually without color, rarely pale purple; inflorescences 2.7-7 cm, glabrous or sparsely stipitate-glandular; hypanthia sparsely short stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1-0.3(-0.4) mm.
subsp. rivularis
1. Plants mostly purple (at least inflorescences); hair crosswalls purple; inflorescences 1.7-3 cm, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular; hypanthia sparsely to densely long stipitate-glandular, hairs (0.2-)0.3-0.6(-1.1) mm.
subsp. arctolitoralis
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 140. FNA vol. 8, p. 144.
Parent taxa Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga
Sibling taxa
S. adscendens, S. aizoides, S. bracteata, S. bronchialis, S. cernua, S. cespitosa, S. cherlerioides, S. chrysantha, S. debilis, S. eschscholtzii, S. flagellaris, S. hirculus, S. hyperborea, S. mertensiana, S. nathorstii, S. oppositifolia, S. paniculata, S. radiata, S. rivularis, S. serpyllifolia, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites, S. vespertina
S. adscendens, S. aizoides, S. aleutica, S. bracteata, S. bronchialis, S. cernua, S. cespitosa, S. cherlerioides, S. chrysantha, S. debilis, S. eschscholtzii, S. flagellaris, S. hirculus, S. hyperborea, S. mertensiana, S. nathorstii, S. oppositifolia, S. paniculata, S. radiata, S. serpyllifolia, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites, S. vespertina
Subordinate taxa
S. rivularis subsp. arctolitoralis, S. rivularis subsp. rivularis
Name authority Hultén: Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 30: 522, fig. 4. 1936 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 404. (1753)
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