pygmy saxifrage Status: State Sensitive

• Main Authors: Saxifragaceae (saxifrage Family, Rank G?s
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: pygmy saxifrage; Saxifraga rivularis
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.214.1169; http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/pdf/saxriv.pdf

General Description: A tufted perennial that forms patches 1 to 3 in. (3 to 8 cm) broad with several leafy flower stalks to 4 in. (1 to 10 cm) tall. The stems and leaves are glabrous to glandular-hairy. The flowering stems are several and mostly less than 4 in. (10 cm) tall. The basal leaves are kidney shaped with shallow lobes and have bulblets in the leaf axils. The stem leaves are reduced and generally without bulblets. The flowers usually number 1 or 2 per stem. The calyx is purple-tinged with deciduous white petals bearing pink veins. The seed capsules are in. (4 to 6 mm) long with brown, wrinkled, elliptic seeds 1/32 in. ( mm) long. Identification Tips: Saxifraga rivularis is most closely related to S. cernua. These species can be distinguished by the nature of their bulblets, flowering stems, and ovaries. S. rivularis has bulblets in only the axils of the basal leaves, its flowering stems are mostly less than 4 in. (10 cm) tall, and its ovary at anthesis is about inferior. The bulblets of S. cernua are borne in the axils of the upper cauline leaves and in place of at least the lower flowers, its flowering stems are commonly at least 4 in. (10 cm) tall, and its ovary at anthesis is scarcely inferior.