Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia)
Bloom time: April – May
General: Low, matted cushion plant.
Leaves & Twigs: The plant’s short stems are completely covered by many tiny (3-6 mm) pairs of overlapping, grey-green, scale-like leaves.
Flowers & Fruits:
Habitat: This species of saxifrage occupies moist, calcium-rich gravel areas in arctic and alpine environments. It also colonizes barren, exposed rock and damp crevices in cliffs.
PlantWatch Pointers: If these plants are very abundant, mark a patch 1 metre square to observe. Otherwise, tag a single cushion plant. The whole cushion plant tends to flower at once.
- First bloom: when the first flower is open in the observed plants.
- Mid bloom: when the first flower petal on any individual flower wrinkles or loses its colour in the observed plants.
This species is monitored in:
- British Columbia
- Northwest Territories
In Canada’s North, the blooming of purple saxifrage coincides with calving in caibou herds.