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

Matted saxifrage, saxifraga vespertina, spotted saxifrage, yellow dot saxifrage

Habit Plants in solitary clumps, stoloniferous, slenderly rhizomatous. Plants forming loose mats, (stems trailing), 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.

cauline (crowded proximally);

petiole absent;

blade spatulate, unlobed or minutely 3-toothed or -lobed apically, 4–11 mm, leathery, margins entire, (not cartilaginous), stiffly ciliate, apex rounded or obtuse, mucronate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

bracts sessile.

3–6-flowered cymes, 2.5–12 cm, 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, ovate to oblong, margins sparsely ciliate, surfaces glabrous;

petals white to cream, yellow-spotted proximally, red- or orange-spotted distally, these often faded in dried specimens, elliptic, 4–6 mm, much longer than sepals;

ovary superior.

2n

= 26.

Saxifraga flagellaris

Saxifraga vespertina

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Rocky slopes, ledges, crevices
Elevation 100-1800 m (300-5900 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
OR; WA
[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. 142.
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. serpyllifolia, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites
Subordinate taxa
S. flagellaris subsp. crandallii, S. flagellaris subsp. platysepala, S. flagellaris subsp. setigera
Synonyms Leptasea vespertina, S. bronchialis subsp. vespertina, S. bronchialis var. vespertina
Name authority Willdenow: in C. M. von Sternberg, Revis. Saxifrag. 1: 25, plate 6. 1810 , (Small) Fedde: Just’s Bot. Jahresber. 33(1): 613. (1906)
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