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| Saxifraga occidentalis S. Wats. | Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| TAXONOMY | |||||||||||||||
| Family: | Saxifragaceae | ||||||||||||||
| Genus: | Saxifraga | ||||||||||||||
| Species Synonyms: | Micranthes lata Small Micranthes occidentalis (S. Wats.) Small Micranthes saximontana (E. Nels.) Small Saxifraga occidentalis var. allenii (Small) C.L. Hitchc. Saxifraga occidentalis var. wallowensis M.E. Peck Saxifraga reflexa ssp. occidentalis (S. Wats.) Hultén |
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| Common Names: | mountain saxifrage | ||||||||||||||
| DISTRIBUTION | |||||||||||||||
| Canada: | British Columbia – western and southeastern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan | ||||||||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills | ||||||||||||||
| Ecoregion: | Cypress Upland | ||||||||||||||
| HABITAT | |||||||||||||||
| Saskatchewan: | fescue grassland slopes and meadows | ||||||||||||||
| Canada: | moist meadows to subalpine rocky slopes | ||||||||||||||
| RARITY STATUS | |||||||||||||||
| Provincial
Status According to Harms (2003): |
Threatened |
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| Nature Conservancy Status: | G5 S1 |
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| Saskatchewan
Species at Risk Status: |
None |
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| COSEWIC Status: | None |
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| Saxifraga occidentalis is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted to the southwestern part of the province. Most local populations are small. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||||||||
| SPECIES DESCRIPTION | |||||||||||||||
| Height: | 10 – 25 cm | ||||||||||||||
| Roots: | rhizomes horizontal, short | ||||||||||||||
| Stems: | in clumps of 3 – 6, leafless, reddish-glandular-pubescent | ||||||||||||||
| Leaves: | basal, 4 – 8, petiole slightly winged, 4 – 8 cm long, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, fleshy, glabrous above, reddish-tomentose below, margin crenate to coarsely serrate | ||||||||||||||
| Inflorescence: | cymes 3 – 6, paniculate, contracted to divaricate, lengthening with maturity | ||||||||||||||
| Flowers: | hypanthium shallow; calyx partially connate, lobes ovate to lanceolate, purplish; corolla 1.5 – 3.5 mm long, longer than the sepals, ovate, nearly clawless, deciduous, white with 2 basal yellow spots to pink; stamens 10, equalling to slightly exceeding petals, filaments reddish; ovary reddish, carpels 2, stigmas capitate | ||||||||||||||
| Fruits: | capsule follicle-like; seeds numerous, brown | ||||||||||||||
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