Early Saxifrage

(Saxifraga virginiensis)

 

   

 

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Early Saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis Michx.)

Identification: Flowers white, with 5 petals and 10 yellow stamens. Flowers on a long flower stem, the stem branched into a number of separate flower clusters. Each flower branch with a small leaflike bract at its base. Flower stem hairy and sticky. Leaves in a basal rosette. Leaves ovate with coarsely toothed outer margins. Plant 4 to 10 inches in height.

Distribution: Minnesota in the west to New Brunswick in the east, southward to Georgia and and Louisiana.

Habitat: Early Saxifrage is found in dry woods and rocky fields.

Flowering period: March to May.

Similar Species: Swamp Saxifrage is found in swamps and wet meadows, is a much larger plant (1 to 3 feet in height), and the basal leaves are smooth and elongate.

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