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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SAXIFRAGE FAMILY | |||||||||
| Saxifrages are found around the world. Plants in this family are herbs, and may be somewhat fleshy. The leaves are alternate, opposite or all basal. The leaves are often toothed or lobed. The flowers are usually in branched clusters, though occasionally they may be solitary. The flowers have both the male and female parts and have a well-developed hypanthium. The hypanthium is the fusion of part of the sepals, petals and stamens that enlarges in fruit. There are four or five sepals and petals. The fruits are capsules or clusters of pods. | |||||||||
| MOUNTAIN SAXIFRAGE | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Saxifraga occidentalis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Mountain saxifrage grows as tall as 25 cm from short rhizomes. The stems are in clumps of three to six and have reddish-glandular hairs. The leaves are all basal and the stalks are slightly winged. The leaves are hairless above but are reddish-woolly below. The sepals are partially fused and are purplish in colour. The petals are white with two yellow spots at the base or are pinkish-tinged. There are ten stamens, which are slightly longer than the petals and have reddish filaments. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Mountain saxifrage grows in fescue grasslands and meadows. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is only found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Mountain saxifrage 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. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY MOUNTAIN SAXIFRAGE | |||||||||
| * Is the stem covered in reddish, glandular hairs? * Are the leaves reddish-woolly below? * Are petals white with two yellow spots or pinkish tinged? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found mountain saxifrage! | |||||||||
