Saxifraga L.
Plants with single unbranched stems, or with erect unbranched stems arising close together, or cushion-like, or with branched or unbranched matted stems, or with unbranched stems arising from a basal rosette of leaves; 1–30 cm high (mean 11 cm); vegetatively proliferating by bulbils not in the inflorescence, or not vegetatively proliferating by bulbils. Taproot present (rarely), or absent. Ground level or underground stems horizontal, or not developed horizontally or vertically (usually); stoloniferous (S. flagellaris), or rhizomatous (S. rivularis); elongate, or compact. Aerial stems erect, or decumbent; glabrous, or sparsely hairy, or densely hairy. Leaves all basal in a rosette, or mostly basal, or distributed along the stems; alternate, or opposite; heterophyllous, or not heterophyllous; evergreen, or deciduous, or marcescent. Petioles absent, or present; 0–50 mm long (mean 17 mm). Blades 2–70 cm long (mean 13 mm); 0.4–35 mm wide (mean 7 mm); herbaceous, or leathery, or succulent; elliptic, or linear, or lanceolate, or oblanceolate, or oblong, or ovate, or obovate, or circular, or spatulate, or reniform; with palmate veins (S. cernua), or appearing single-veined, or with inconspicuous veins; glabrous, or hairy; with hairs on the adaxial surface only, or with hairs on the abaxial surface only, or with hairs equally dense on both surfaces. Leaf bases cordate, or obtuse, or acute, or cuneate, or attenuate. Leaves lobed, or not lobed. Leaf margins with non-glandular hairs, or glabrous. Conspicuous hydathodes present, or absent. Leaf apices acute, or obtuse, or acuminate, or rounded.
Plants monoecious (rarely S. eschscholtzii), or bisexual. Flowering stems 0.5–18 cm long (mean 6 mm); without leaves, or with leaves; hairy, or glabrous. Flowers solitary, or in inflorescences. Inflorescence spicate, or racemose, or paniculate, or cymose, or head-like; 0–3 cm long (mean 1.3 mm); with bulbils, or without bulbils. Flowers per inflorescence 1–15; small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length, or medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx sepals 5; green, or purple, or red; herbaceous, or scarious; hairy, or glabrous. Petals green, or white, or yellow, or red, or pink, or purple; with contrasting markings, or without contrasting markings; elliptic, or ovate, or obovate, or lanceolate, or oblanceolate, or spatulate; unlobed; 1–12 mm long (mean 5.2 mm); same length as the calyx, or longer than the calyx. Stamens 10. Carpels partly fused; 2. Gynoecia superior, or partly inferior. Styles absent, or present; 2. Stigmas per style 1. Ovules 10–100. Fruit with calyx persisting, or without calyx persisting; spherical, or ellipsoid, or ovoid, or of an unusual shape; 2.5–12 mm long (mean 5.8 mm); 2–7 mm wide (mean 4.5 mm); black, or brown, or purple, or green at maturity; hairy, or glabrous; styles style modified modifying and persisting, or style may persist until dehiscence but is not modified. Seeds 10–100; 0.5–1.5 mm long (mean 9.5 mm); brown; smooth, or verrucose, or ridged, or winged.
Distribution. Circumpolar, or amphi-Atlantic, or amphi-Beringian, or North American. Arctic, or alpine (and boreal). Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago wide-spread. Common, or rare, or uncommon.
Cite this publication as: ‘C.L. McJannet, S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.J. Gillespie and L.L. Consaul. 1997 onwards. Saxifragaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 28th November 2000. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000), Aiken, Dallwitz et al. (1999), and Aiken, Dallwitz, McJannet, Gillespie, and Consaul (1998) should also be cited (see References).