Saxifraga oppositifolia L.
purple mountain saxifrage
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
purple mountain saxifrage
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
General:
Caespitose, perennial herb forming thick cushions to 20 cm across and 2-7 cm tall; flowering stems 1-5 cm tall; plants generally smooth but bristle-fringed on leaves and calyces.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking, stem leaves opposite, persistent, oblong- to egg-shaped, 1-5 mm long, fringed, unstalked, overlapping on non-flowering shoots.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single flowers, at ends of leafy branches; petals bright pink-purple to blue-purple, or rarely white, spoon-egg-shaped to egg-shaped-oblong, 6-9 mm long, 5- to 7-veined; calyces cup-shaped, lobed for 3/4 or more of length, free hypanthium absent, the lobes oblong-oval, 2-3.5 mm long, fleshy, coarsely fringed, erect or slightly spreading; stamens 10.
Fruits:
Capsules, 6-9 mm long; seeds light brown, about 0.6 mm long, lightly veined.
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 oppositifolia
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) |
1939 | 35 | 2680 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
28 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
223 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
98 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(11), BAFA(35), cma(1), ESSF(24), IMA(11), SWB(4) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||