The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

thyme-leaf saxifrage

Habit Plants in solitary clumps, stoloniferous, slenderly rhizomatous. Plants mat-forming, not stoloniferous, 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, (cauline 1–4);

petiole absent;

blade linear (cauline) or oblong to oblanceolate or spatulate, unlobed, 2–8.5 mm, fleshy, margins (recurved), entire, eciliate, apex obtuse, not mucronate, surfaces glabrous or glabrate.

Inflorescences

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

bracts sessile.

solitary flowers, 2–7 cm, sparsely to densely 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 erect to spreading (reflexed in fruit, often purplish), broadly ovate to elliptic, margins eciliate or sometimes sparsely ciliate, surfaces glabrous;

petals pale yellow, rarely purple, faded when dried, not spotted, elliptic to obovate, 4–8 mm, longer than sepals;

ovary superior.

2n

= 16 (Russia).

Saxifraga flagellaris

Saxifraga serpyllifolia

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist to dry sandy areas, cliffs, gravelly ridges, scree, tundra
Elevation 0-2200 m (0-7200 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
AK; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Japan, Siberia)
[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.)

The purple-flowered variant of Saxifraga serpyllifolia has been called var. purpurea.

(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. 139.
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. chrysantha, S. debilis, S. eschscholtzii, S. flagellaris, S. hirculus, S. hyperborea, S. mertensiana, S. nathorstii, S. oppositifolia, S. paniculata, S. radiata, S. rivularis, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites, S. vespertina
Subordinate taxa
S. flagellaris subsp. crandallii, S. flagellaris subsp. platysepala, S. flagellaris subsp. setigera
Synonyms S. serpyllifolia var. purpurea
Name authority Willdenow: in C. M. von Sternberg, Revis. Saxifrag. 1: 25, plate 6. 1810 , Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 310. 1813 ,
Web links