Flora of North America species comparison

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Saxifraga serpyllifolia

thyme-leaf saxifrage
Habit Plants mat-forming, not stoloniferous, rhizomatous.
Leaves

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

solitary flowers, 2–7 cm, sparsely to densely pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular;

bracts sessile.
Flowers

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 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; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Japan, Siberia)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 139.
Parent taxa 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. oppositifolia, S. paniculata, S. radiata, S. rivularis, S. taylorii, S. tricuspidata, S. tridactylites, S. vespertina
Synonyms S. serpyllifolia var. purpurea
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 310. 1813 ,
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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