Saxifraga Oppositifolia - Purple Saxifrage

Saxifraga Oppositifolia is a fascinating plant, and although unlikely to be found in the Okanagan, we felt it was worthy of a place as our Plant of the Week choice for the last plant of February. Saxifraga Oppositifolia is a dense, low-growing plant found around the entire polar region of the northern hemisphere and at sea level in the Arctic. It has very small, overlapping grey-green colored leaves and blooms with a profusion of beautiful lilac-magenta colored five-petaled flowers. To read more about this very interesting plant visit The Canadian Museum of Nature's web page at: http://nature.ca/discover/treasures/plnts/tr2/sax_e.cfm Botanical Name: Saxifraga Oppositifolia Common Name: Purple Saxifrage or Purple Mountain Saxifrage Plant Type: Perennial herb with the potential to be very long lived Habit: Mat forming into large stands Size: Low growing up to 2” tall Habitat: Saxifraga means rock breaker, and true to its name the plant is often found in dry, rocky and inhospitable areas including exposed north facing cliffs, where it is often the only plant to be seen. Has been found growing at extremely high altitudes. Bloom Time: One of the earliest flowering plants in its alpine or arctic habitat. It blooms soon after the snow begins to melt; in the mountains (alpine) it blooms in April; in the arctic it blooms in June. Bloom time is also dependent on orientation.