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Alaska saxifrage, nodding saxifrage, spider plant, spider saxifrage, stoloniferous or spider or spider-legged saxifrage, stoloniferous saxifrage, whiplash saxifrage

goldbloom saxifrage, golden-saxifrage

Habit Plants in solitary clumps, stoloniferous, slenderly rhizomatous. Plants mat-forming, not stoloniferous, slenderly rhizomatous.
Leaves

basal and cauline;

petiole absent;

blade oblong-lanceolate or elliptic to obovate, unlobed, 5–20 mm, fleshy, margins entire, sparsely to densely, coarsely glandular-ciliate, distal sometimes ciliate, apex acute to ± obtuse, mucronate, surfaces glabrous.

basal and cauline, (basal crowded, cauline 3–5+);

petiole absent;

blade linear-oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate, unlobed, (2–)3–10(–12) mm, fleshy, margins (recurved), entire, eciliate, sometimes sparsely glandular-ciliate, apex rounded, surfaces glabrous, sometimes sparsely stipitate-glandular.

Inflorescences

2–3(–5)-flowered, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 1–15 cm, densely purplish-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts sessile.

2(–3)-flowered cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 2–8 cm, sparsely pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts sessile.

Flowers

sepals erect, elliptic or oblong-ovate, margins stipitate glandular-ciliate, surfaces stipitate-glandular;

petals yellow, not spotted, elliptic to broadly obovate, 4–9(–10) mm, longer than sepals;

ovary superior to ca. 1/2 inferior.

sepals strongly reflexed, oblong to ovate, margins densely glandular-ciliate, sometimes eciliate, surfaces stipitate-glandular;

petals bright golden yellow, sometimes orange-tipped proximally, not spotted, elliptic-oblong to obovate, 4–8 mm, longer than sepals;

ovary superior.

Saxifraga flagellaris

Saxifraga chrysantha

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Alpine tundra, wet talus slopes, rocky areas
Elevation 2700-4500 m (8900-14800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; UT; WY; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia (c Asia, Caucasus, Russian Far East, Siberia); Atlantic Islands (Svalbard)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; MT; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies ca. 8 (3 in the flora).

Although sometimes reported from North America, subspecies flagellaris is not present in the flora area; it is native in Eurasia.

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

Key
1. Ovaries superior; inflorescence bract blades shorter than internodes.
subsp. setigera
1. Ovaries at least 1/2 inferior; inflorescence bract blades longer than internodes
→ 2
2. Inflorescences (2-)4-15 cm; hypanthia and sepals whitish- and black-tipped stipitate-glandular; petals elliptic to narrowly obovate, length to 2 times sepals.
subsp. crandallii
2. Inflorescences 1-4(-6) cm; hypanthia and sepals black-tipped stipitate-glandular; petals broadly obovate, length 2+ times sepals.
subsp. platysepala
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 138. FNA vol. 8, p. 140.
Parent taxa Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga Saxifragaceae > Saxifraga
Sibling taxa
S. adscendens, S. aizoides, S. aleutica, S. bracteata, S. bronchialis, S. cernua, S. cespitosa, S. cherlerioides, S. chrysantha, S. debilis, S. eschscholtzii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. flagellaris subsp. crandallii, S. flagellaris subsp. platysepala, S. flagellaris subsp. setigera
Synonyms Hirculus serpyllifolius subsp. chrysanthus, S. serpyllifolia subsp. chrysantha, S. serpyllifolia var. chrysantha
Name authority Willdenow: in C. M. von Sternberg, Revis. Saxifrag. 1: 25, plate 6. 1810 , A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 83. 1876 ,
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