Saxifraga rotundifolia

Saxifraga rotundifolia, common name round-leaved saxifrage,^[1] is a flowering herb and alpine plant of the genus Saxifraga.

Saxifraga rotundifolia
Flowers of Saxifraga rotundifolia at the Giardino Botanico Alpino Chanousia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Saxifragales
Family:	Saxifragaceae
Genus:	Saxifraga
Species:	S. rotundifolia
Binomial name
Saxifraga rotundifolia L.

Subspecies

• Saxifraga rotundifolia subsp. heucherifolia (Grisebach & Schrenk.) Ciocarlan
• Saxifraga rotundifolia subsp. rotundifolia

Description

Saxifraga rotundifolia can reach a height of 20–50 centimetres (7.9–19.7 in). This perennial herbaceous plant has fleshy leaves arranged in dense basal rosette. They are petiolate (up to 10 cm), up to 5 cm across, dark green, hairy, simple, rounded or almost heart-shaped, bordered by numerous triangular notches. The flowering stems are erect, pubescent, branched at the top, bearing narrow panicles of star-shaped flowers. These flowers have five lanceolate petals, usually white with numerous minute pink-purple specks. They bloom from April to August.

Distribution

This species is present in the central and southern Europe in the Iberian Peninsula, the Alps and the Balkans.

Habitat

Saxifraga rotundifolia prefers shady forests, damps, cliffs, stony soils and margins of streams at elevation of 700–2,200 metres (2,300–7,200 ft) above sea level.