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PlantWatch

What is PlantWatch?	How to PlantWatch
PlantWatch Identification Guide - English download	PlantWatch Identification Guide - French download
PlantWatch Tips	PlantWatch Glossary
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Saxifrage, Prickly (Saxifraga tricuspidata)


Photo by Page Burt

Also known as: three-toothed saxifrage
French name: saxifrage à trois points
Bloom time: May to June
Report for: YK, NT, NU, MB

General: Prickly saxifrage is a loosely matted perennial (5–15 cm tall), that grows in large bunches, close to the ground.

Leaves & Twigs: The stiff, three-toothed leaves on this plant give prickly saxifrage its name. The leaves (7–14 mm long) are leathery and slightly reddish in colour, and broadest at the tip. Dead leaves remain on the stem for several years and provide protection for developing winter buds.

Flowers & Fruit: Between three and 10 creamy white flowers appear at the end of the saxifrage stems. Each flower (4–7 mm long) has five sepals and five petals.

Habitat: This plant can often be found in dry, exposed, rocky areas, including rock crevices.

PlantWatch Pointers

Sampling: Select a typical patch of plants, if the plants are very abundant, mark off a 1-metre-square section to observe.

To Observe:

First bloom: when the first flowers are open in the observed plants (three places)
Mid bloom when 50% of the flowers are open in the observed plant

Prickly saxifrage’s Latin genus name, Saxifraga, means “stone-breaker” - an excellent description of how its roots can break down stone into smaller components useable by other plants.