Saxifraga cernua nodding saxifrage Status: State Sensitive

• Main Authors: Saxifragaceae (saxifrage Family, Rank Gss
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: nodding saxifrage; Saxifraga cernua
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.214.5530; http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/pdf/saxcer.pdf

General Description: Glandular and hairy grayish perennial. Each plant has one or two flowering stalks at least 4 in. (10 cm) tall. Reddish-purple rice-like bulblets are present in the leaf axils and replace the lowermost, or sometimes all, of the flowers. The stem leaves are alternate, reduced and few-lobed to entire, while the basal leaves are kidney-shaped with shallow lobes and grow from the base of flower stalks. The stems are densely hairy. The calyx is purplish and the petals are white. The fruit has a persistent calyx that is brown and hairy. Identification Tips: The presence of bulblets in both the basal and cauline leaf axils helps to differentiate this species from other Saxifraga. The ovary is one quarter inferior at flowering, less so at maturity. The use of a hand lens is necessary to positively identify. The name “nodding saxifrage ” refers to the flowering stem nodding from the weight of a developing fruit.