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Saxifraga oppositifolia

purple mountain saxifrage, purple or purple mountain saxifrage, purple saxifrage, saxifrage à feuilles opposées, twinflower saxifrage

evergreen or yellow mountain saxifrage, evergreen saxifrage, saxifrage jaune, yellow mountain saxifrage, yellow saxifrage

Habit Plants mat- or cushion-forming (with trailing, ± woody stems), not stoloniferous, rhizomatous. Plants loosely mat- or cushion-forming (stems mostly prostrate), not stoloniferous, rhizomatous.
Leaves

cauline (marcescent, crowded), opposite (rarely alternate);

petiole absent;

blade oblong to ± broadly obovate, unlobed, 2–5 mm, leathery, margins entire, bristly-ciliate, with 1(–3) lime-secreting hydathodes (in pit, secretion obvious), apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

cauline;

petiole absent;

blade linear to narrowly oblong, unlobed [with 2 toothlike lobes distally], 3–22 mm, succulent, margins entire, spinose-ciliate, sometimes eciliate, with 1(–5) lime-secreting hydathodes (not sunk in pits, secretions not obvious), apex obtuse or apiculate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers, ebracteate, 1–5 cm, glabrate or sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular.

2–15-flowered cymes or thyrses, sometimes solitary flowers, 2–15[–20] cm, glabrous or clear-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts sessile.

Flowers

sepals erect, ovate, margins stiffly ciliate or not, surfaces hairy, stipitate-glandular, or glabrous;

petals purple to pink, rarely white, often drying violet, not spotted, obovate to elliptic, (2–)5–12(–20) mm, longer than sepals;

ovary ± superior.

sepals spreading, triangular, margins eciliate, surfaces glabrous;

petals yellow to orange, sometimes orange-spotted, elliptic, 3–7 mm, ± equaling or exceeding sepals;

ovary 1/2 inferior.

Capsules

± folliclelike.

2n

= 26.

Saxifraga oppositifolia

Saxifraga aizoides

Phenology Flowering early spring–early autumn.
Habitat Rocky, often calcareous seepage areas, stream banks, silty flats, gravel bars and beach ridges, crevices, arctic tundra, enriched sites
Elevation 0-2000[-3000] m [0-6600[-9800] ft]
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MT; NY; OR; VT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Eurasia; arctic and alpine
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MI; NY; VT; AB; BC; MB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT; Greenland; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 7 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Sepal margins bristly-ciliate
subsp. oppositifolia
1. Sepal margins glandular-ciliate
subsp. smalliana
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 136. FNA vol. 8, p. 137.
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. flagellaris, S. hirculus, S. hyperborea, S. mertensiana, S. nathorstii, S. paniculata, S. radiata, S. rivularis, S. serpyllifolia, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites, S. vespertina
S. adscendens, 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, S. vespertina
Subordinate taxa
S. oppositifolia subsp. oppositifolia, S. oppositifolia subsp. smalliana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 402. 1753 , Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 403. 1753 ,
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