Saxifraga oppositifolia
Habit | herbaceous
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Height: | ⇕ | 1 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 1. |
Width: | ⇔ | 8 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 8. |
Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
Bloom: | ❀ | early summer, mid summer, late summer |
Exposure: | ☼ | sun, part-sun |
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Features: | ✓ | flowers, edible |
USDA Zones: | 1 to 7 | |
Flower features: | ❀ | red, blue, purple, pink |
Saxifraga oppositifolia, the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage,[1] is a species of edible plant that is very common all over the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky Mountains. It is even known to grow on Kaffeklubben Island in north Greenland[2], at 83°40'N, the most northerly plant locality in the world.
It is a low-growing, densely or loosely matted plant growing to 3–5 cm high, with somewhat woody branches of creeping or trailing habit close to the surface. The leaves are small, rounded, scale-like, opposite in 4 rows, with ciliated margins. The flowers are solitary on short stalks, petals purple or lilac, much longer than the calyx lobes. It is one of the very first spring flowers, continuing to flower during the whole summer in localities where the snow melts later. The flowers grow to about 0.5 inches in diametre.
It grows in all kinds of cold temperate to arctic habitats, from sea level up to 1000 m, in many places colouring the landscape. It is a popular plant in alpine gardens, though difficult to grow in warm climates.
The flowers can be picked for food. The semi-sweet petals are edible. The flower is known to the Inuit people as aupilaktunnguaq.
ExpandRead about Saxifraga oppositifolia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Cultivation
Propagation
Pests and diseases
Varieties
There are a few subspecies, including:
- Saxifraga oppositifolia ssp. glandulisepala Hultén - Native from Alaska.[3]
- Saxifraga oppositifolia ssp. oppositifolia L. - Native from Continental US.[4]
- Saxifraga oppositifolia ssp. smalliana (Engl. & Irmsch.) Hultén - Native from Alaska.[5]
Gallery
References
- ↑ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24230
- ↑ Sagax Groenland 2007 [1]
- ↑ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24232
- ↑ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24231
- ↑ http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=24233
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Saxifraga oppositifolia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Saxifraga oppositifolia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)