Saxifraga mertensiana Bong.
wood saxifrage (Merten's saxifrage)
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
wood saxifrage (Merten's saxifrage)
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from short, thick rhizomes, with bulblets; flowering stems 15-40 cm tall, commonly long- and glandular-hairy.
Leaves:
Basal leaves 1 to 3, round-to kidney-shaped, heart-shaped at base, somewhat fleshy and brittle, 3-10 cm wide, 13- to 17-lobed, the main lobes 3- to 5-toothed, usually sparsely hairy, at least below; stalks long, up to 4-times blade length, often with bulblets in axils; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence open, many-flowered, some flowers replaced by pinkish bulblets; petals white, oblong-elliptic to egg-shaped, 3-5 mm long; calyces lobed almost to base, free hypanthium absent, the lobes lanceolate to lance-oblong, shorter than petals, sharply bent back, sparsely glandular-hairy; sta mens 10.
Fruits:
Capsules, 4-6 mm long; seeds light brown, about 1 mm long, lightly wrinkled.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Saxifraga mertensiana
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1673 | 760 | 2333 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
34 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
44 | 0 | 344 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
20 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
AT | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(8), CWH(1), ESSF(4), MH(4), MS(1), SBS(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist streambanks, ledges and rock outcrops from the lowland and steppe to subalpine zones; frequent in BC south of 55degreeN, rare in NW BC (Haines Triangle); N to S AK, E to AB and S to MT, ID and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Saxifraga mertensiana var. eastwoodiae (Small) Engl. & Irmsch.