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Saxifraga

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This article is about a plant genus. For other plants called saxifrage, and other uses, seeSaxifrage (disambiguation).

Saxifragais the largestgenusin the familySaxifragaceae,containing about 473speciesofholarcticperennial plants,known assaxifrages[1][2]orrockfoils.[3]The Latin wordsaxifragameans literally "stone-breaker", fromLatinsaxum( "rock" or "stone" ) +frangere( "to break" ). It is usually thought to indicate a medicinal use for treatment ofurinary calculi(known as kidney or bladder stones), rather than breaking rocks apart.[2][4]

Saxifraga
Saxifraga cochlearis
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Saxifraga
Tourn.exL.(1753)
Type species
Saxifraga granulata
Sections

Seetext

Synonyms[1]
Synonyms
  • AdenogynaRaf. (1836), nom. superfl.
  • AntiphyllaHaw. (1821)
  • AphomonixRaf. (1837)
  • BoecherarcticaÁ.Löve (1984)
  • ChondroseaHaw. (1821)
  • CiliariaHaw. (1821)
  • CymbalariellaNappi (1903)
  • DactyloidesNieuwl. (1915), nom. superfl.
  • DipteraBorkh. (1794), nom. superfl.
  • DitriclitaRaf. (1836), nom. nud.
  • EvaiezoaRaf. (1837)
  • GeryoniaSchrank ex Hoppe (1818)
  • GeumMill. (1754), nom. illeg.
  • HirculusHaw. (1821)
  • KingstoniaGray (1821 publ. 1822)
  • LeptaseaHaw. (1821)
  • LigulariaDuval (1809), nom. superfl.
  • LobariaHaw. (1821), nom. illeg.
  • MiscopetalumHaw. (1812)
  • MuscariaHaw. (1821)
  • OreospleniumZahlbr. ex Endl.(1839), pro syn.
  • PonistaRaf. (1837)
  • RobertsoniaHaw. (1812)
  • RupifragaL. ex Raf. (1837), nom. superfl.
  • SaxifragellaEngl. (1891)
  • SekikaMedik. (1791)
  • TridactylitesHaw. (1821)
  • TristyleaJord. & Fourr. (1870)
  • TulorimaRaf. (1837)
  • ZahlbruckneraRchb. (1832)

Description

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Most saxifrages are smallperennial,biennial(e.g.S. adscendens) orannual(e.g.S. tridactylites)herbaceous plantswhose basal orcaulineleavesgrow close to the ground, often in arosette.The leaves typically have a more or less incised margin; they may besucculent,needle-like and/or hairy, reducingevaporation.[5][6][7]

Theinflorescenceor single flower clusters rise above the main plant body on naked stalks. The smallactinomorphichermaphroditeflowers have fivepetalsandsepalsand are usually white, but red to yellow in some species.Stamens,usually 10, rarely 8, insert at the junction of the floral tube and ovary wall, with filaments subulate or clavate. As in other primitiveeudicots,some of the 5 or 10stamensmay appear petal-like.[citation needed]and it lives in tundral ecosystems.[5][8][6]

Taxonomy

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A genus of about 473 species.[1]The formermonotypicgenusSaxifragellahas been submersed within Saxifraga, the largest genus inSaxifragaceae,asSaxifraga bicuspidata.[9][5]Also the genusSaxifragopsis(strawberry saxifrage) was previously included inSaxifraga.[10]

Subdivision

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Based on morphological criteria, up to 15 sections were recognised.[11]Subsequentmolecular phylogeneticstudies reduced this to 13 sections with 9 subsections. The former sectionsMicranthesandMerkianaeare more closely related to theBoykiniaandHeucheraclades.[12]Modernflorasseparate these groups as the genusMicranthes.[13][6]

The thirteen sections (with subsections) are:[14]

  • Irregulares
  • Saxifragella
  • Pseudocymbalaria
  • Bronchiales
  • Ciliatae
  • Cymbalaria
  • Cotylea
  • Gymnopera
  • Mesogyne
  • Trachyphyllum
  • Ligulatae
  • Porphyrion
    • Squarrosae
    • Mutatae
    • Oppositifoliae
    • Florulentae
    • Kabschia
  • Saxifraga
    • Tridactylites
    • Androsaceae
    • Arachnoideae
    • Saxifraga

Selected species

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Main article:List ofSaxifragaspecies

Formerly placed here

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Plants formerly placed inSaxifragaare mainly but not exclusivelySaxifragaceae.They include:[citation needed]

Other "saxifragous" plants

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Several plantgenerahave names referring to saxifrages, although they might not be close relatives ofSaxifraga.They include:[citation needed]

  • Golden-saxifrages,Chrysosplenium
  • Burnet-saxifrages,Pimpinella
  • Pepper-saxifrage,Silaum silaus.The name "silaum" comes from the Latin word sil, which means yellow ochre. This refers to the sulphurous yellow colour of the flowers.[17]

Some plants refer toSaxifragain their generic names orspecific epithets,either because they are also "rock-breaking" or because they resemble members of the saxifrage genus:[citation needed]

Ecology

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Round-leaved saxifrage (S. rotundifolia), whose sticky leaves seem to catch smallinvertebrates

Saxifrages are typical inhabitants ofArctic–alpineecosystems,and are hardly ever found outside thetemperateparts of the Northern Hemisphere; most members of this genus are found insubarcticclimates. A good number of species grow inglacialhabitats, such asS. biflorawhich can be found some 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level in the Alps, or the East Greenland saxifrage (S. nathorstii). The genus is also abundant in theEasternandWestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.Though the archetypal saxifrage is a small planthuddling between rockshigh up on a mountain, many species do not occur in such ahabitatand are larger (though still rather delicate) plants found on wetmeadows.

VariousSaxifragaspecies are used as food plants by thecaterpillarsof somebutterflies and moths,such as the Phoebus Apollo (Parnassius phoebus).[18]

Charles Darwin– erroneously believingSaxifragato be allied to the sundew family (Droseraceae) – suspected the sticky-leaved round-leaved saxifrage (S. rotundifolia), rue-leaved saxifrage (S. tridactylites) and Pyrenean saxifrage (S. umbrosa) to beprotocarnivorous plants,and conducted some experiments whose results supported his observations,[19]but the matter has apparently not been studied since his time.

Cultivation

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Saxifraga urumoffiiat theRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Numerous species and cultivars of saxifrage are cultivated as ornamental garden plants, valued particularly asgroundcoveror ascushion plantsinrock gardensandalpine gardens.Many require alkaline or neutral soil to thrive.[7]

S.×urbium(London pride), ahybridbetween Pyrenean saxifrage (S. umbrosa) and St. Patrick's cabbage (S. spathularis), is commonly grown as anornamental plant.[2]Anotherhorticulturalhybrid is Robertsoniana saxifrage (S. × geum), derived from kidney saxifrage (S. hirsuta) and Pyrenean saxifrage.[citation needed]Some wild species are also used in gardening.Cambridge University Botanic Gardenhosts the United Kingdom's national collection of saxifrages.[2]

Award of Garden Merit

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The following species andcultivarshave gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit:-[20]

Uses

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The leaves of some saxifrage species, such as creeping saxifrage (S. stolonifera) andS. pensylvanica,[51]are edible. The former is a food in Korea[52]and Japan.[citation needed]The flowers of purple saxifrage (S. oppositifolia) are eaten inNunavut,Canada and the leaves and stems brewed as a tea.[53]

Species are also used in traditional medicine, such as creeping saxifrage in East Asia[54]and round-leaved saxifrage (S. rotundifolia) in Europe.[55]

Two species—purple saxifrage and creeping saxifrage—are popularfloral emblems.They are official flowers for:

References

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  1. ^abc"SaxifragaTourn. ex L. "Plants of the World Online.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Retrieved13 April2024.
  2. ^abcd"Saxifraga".National Plant Collections.Cambridge University Botanic Garden.RetrievedOctober 3,2011.
  3. ^Roger Spencer, ed.Horticultural Flora of South-Eastern Australia.UNSW Press, 2002. p. 81.ISBN9780868401676
  4. ^D. A. Webb & R. J. Gornall (1989).Saxifrages of Europe.Christopher Helm. p. 19.ISBN0-7470-3407-9.
  5. ^abcGornall 2011.
  6. ^abcBrouillet & Elvander 2008.
  7. ^abRHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants.United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136.ISBN978-1405332965.
  8. ^Jintang et al 2004.
  9. ^Deng et al 2015.
  10. ^"SaxifragaL. "Germplasm Resources Information Network.United States Department of Agriculture.February 9, 2005.RetrievedJanuary 20,2009.
  11. ^Gornall 1987.
  12. ^Soltis et al 1996.
  13. ^Flora of China
  14. ^Tkach et al 2015.
  15. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxUmberto Quattrocchi.CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology.CRC Press, 1999. p.2395-2396.ISBN9780849326738
  16. ^Knaben, G. (1934). "Saxifraga osloensisn. sp., a tetraploid species of theTridactylitessection ".Nytt Magasin for Botanikk:117–138.
  17. ^Reader's Digest Nature Lover's Library Wild Flowers of Britain,page 192, published 1988
  18. ^Ivo Novák (1980).A Field Guide in Colour to Butterflies and Moths.Octopus Books.ISBN0-7064-1293-1.
  19. ^Charles Darwin(1875). "Drosophyllum – Roridula – Byblis– glandular hairs of other plants – concluding remarks on the Droseraceae ".Insectivorous Plants(1st ed.). London: J. Murray. pp.332–367.
  20. ^"AGM Plants - Ornamental"(PDF).Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 95.Retrieved1 November2018.
  21. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Angelina Johnson'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  22. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Blackberry and Apple Pie'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  23. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga callosa".Retrieved5 March2021.
  24. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Conwy Snow'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  25. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Coolock Kate'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  26. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Cumulus'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  27. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga fortunei".Retrieved5 March2021.
  28. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Gregor Mendel' (×fortunei) ".Retrieved1 November2018.
  29. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Lagraveana'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  30. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga'Lutea'".Retrieved2 June2013.
  31. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga'Minor'".Retrieved5 March2021.
  32. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Moe'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  33. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Monarch'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  34. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Mount Nachi'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  35. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Peach Melba'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  36. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga(Silver Farreri Group) 'Reginald Farrer'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  37. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Rokujo' (fortunei) ".Retrieved1 November2018.
  38. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga'Rosea'".Retrieved5 March2021.
  39. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Shiranami'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  40. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga(Southside Seedling Group) 'Slack's Ruby Southside'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  41. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga(Silver Farreri Group) 'Snowflake'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  42. ^"RHS Plantfinder - (Southside seedling Group) 'Southside Star'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  43. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga stolonifera".Retrieved5 March2021.
  44. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Sue Drew'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  45. ^"RHS Plantfinder -SaxifragaSugar Plum Fairy='Toujya'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  46. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga'Theoden'".Retrieved5 March2021.
  47. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga'Tumbling Waters'".Retrieved5 March2021.
  48. ^"RHS Plant Selector -Saxifraga×urbium".Retrieved8 March2021.
  49. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Venetia' (paniculata) ".Retrieved1 November2018.
  50. ^"RHS Plantfinder -Saxifraga'Whitehill'".Retrieved1 November2018.
  51. ^Niering, William A.;Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979].The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region.Knopf. p. 780.ISBN0-394-50432-1.
  52. ^Chon, Sang-Uk; Heo, Buk-Gu; Park, Yong-Seo; Cho, Ja-Yong; Gorinstein, Shela (2008)."Characteristics of the leaf parts of some traditional Korean salad plants used for food".Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.88(11): 1963–1968.Bibcode:2008JSFA...88.1963C.doi:10.1002/jsfa.3304.ISSN1097-0010.
  53. ^Official Flower of Nunavut,Nunavut, Canada
  54. ^Ji-xian Guo, Ki Sung Chung, Paul Pui-hay But, Takeatsu Kimura (1996).International Collation Of Traditional And Folk Medicine, Vol 2: Northeast Asia Part 2.World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 65.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  55. ^Pieroni, Andrea; Quave, Cassandra L., eds. (2014).Ethnobotany and Biocultural Diversities in the Balkans.New York: Springer.
  56. ^"The Official Flower of Nunavut: Purple Saxifrage".Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. 2011.RetrievedJuly 31,2011.
  57. ^County flowers in BritainArchived14 February 2006 at theWayback Machinewww.plantlife.org.uk
  58. ^"City flower, bird and tree"(in Japanese). City of Tsukuba.Retrieved17 June2021.

Bibliography

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