Saxifragaceae

Saxifragaceae

Tiarella polyphylla

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga consanguinea 

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga subsessiliflora

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga brachypoda

Saxifragaceae

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga aristulata

by GP Jürgens

Hook. f. & Thomson

Sikkim2003 282 P388
Sikkim Saint-Lake August

Description

Saxifraga aristulata Hook.f. & Thomson is a cushion-forming alpine saxifrage of the high Himalaya, recorded from China, Nepal, India and Bhutan; the GBIF dataset of 391 occurrences reflects its frequent presence in the alpine zone of the central and eastern ranges. It grows on damp rock ledges, gravelly slopes, moist alpine turf and stream banks at high elevation, broadly between 3500 and 5000 m. The photographed plant from a high lake basin in Sikkim, flowering in August, exemplifies its late-monsoon anthesis in cool, well-drained alpine habitats among rocks and short turf, forming low mats studded with yellow flowers near the snow line.

The species is a small, mat- or cushion-forming perennial herb with slender, prostrate to ascending, leafy stems forming dense low tufts. The leaves are small, alternate to crowded, linear to oblong or narrowly oblanceolate, often ciliate-margined and tipped with a fine bristle or awn — the aristate apex giving the epithet aristulata. The flowers are solitary or few at the stem tips, with five free, spreading, obovate petals that are yellow, sometimes orange- or red-dotted toward the base; the calyx is five-lobed and the ten stamens surround a bicarpellate, partly inferior ovary with two divergent styles. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between the persistent styles to release numerous small seeds.

Saxifraga aristulata belongs to the large, predominantly yellow-flowered Himalayan section Ciliatae (the Hirculus alliance), centred on the Sino-Himalaya and characterised by cushion or mat habits and ciliate, awn-tipped leaves. The complex is taxonomically intricate, with numerous closely allied high-alpine microspecies. As a widespread, tolerant alpine cushion plant it is of no conservation concern, though as a high-elevation specialist it is potentially sensitive to warming and upslope range contraction; it has occasional appeal among alpine-plant enthusiasts.

Author: Hook. f. & Thomson · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Pan & Gornall — Saxifraga of the Sino-Himalaya

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga asarifolia 

by G & P Jürgens

Sternb.

Nepal 99 677 ergebnis
West-Nepal, Kagmara-La 4800m, July
Nepal 99 678 ergebnis
West-Nepal, Kagmara-La 4800m, July

Description

Saxifraga asarifolia is a high-alpine perennial of the Himalaya, recorded from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan, with GBIF listing about 62 occurrences (the US record reflecting cultivated or herbarium material). It grows on moist, rocky alpine turf, scree margins, moraine and damp ledges in the upper subalpine to alpine belt, generally between 3500 and 5000 m. The illustrated plant was collected in West Nepal at the Kagmara-La at 4800 m in July, near the upper limit of vascular plant life, where it flowers during the brief monsoon-warmed summer amid snowmelt ground.

It is a small, mat- or cushion-forming herb with a slender branching rhizome rooting at the nodes. The leaves are mostly basal, long-petiolate, with reniform to orbicular-cordate, somewhat fleshy blades reminiscent of Asarum, hence the epithet, the margins shallowly crenate or entire and often ciliate. The flowering stems are short and few-flowered, bearing solitary or sparingly cymose flowers. Each flower has five spreading, ovate, yellow to greenish-yellow petals frequently dotted with orange, five sepals, ten stamens, and a superior to half-inferior ovary of two connate carpels. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule dehiscing to release numerous small seeds.

The species belongs within the large and taxonomically intricate genus Saxifraga, associated with the predominantly Asian sections of yellow-flowered alpine saxifrages. Its restriction to high, cold, moist microhabitats makes it a useful indicator of intact alpine ecosystems. While not currently assessed as threatened owing to remote and extensive habitat, populations are vulnerable to climate-driven upward shifts of the alpine zone and to grazing pressure on accessible pastures.

Author: Sternb. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Pakistan, Saxifrages of the World (Webb & Gornall)

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga bergenioides

by GP Jürgens

C. Marquand

BhutanPG2011 553 1
Bhutan Ludlow-Sherriff-Trail Dem-Tso, 4650m July

Description

Saxifraga bergenioides is a high-alpine cushion-forming herb of the eastern Himalaya, recorded from China, Bhutan and India, with 102 occurrences in GBIF reflecting its narrow range and restricted habitat. It is a plant of cold, exposed alpine terrain: rock crevices, ledges, moraine and stony turf at very high elevations, typically between 4000 and 4800 m. The collection illustrated, from the Ludlow-Sherriff Trail near Dem-Tso at 4650 m in Bhutan in July, exemplifies its occupancy of the upper alpine zone, where it flowers in midsummer on cold, well-drained rocky substrates near the limit of vascular plant growth.

The plant forms low, compact tufts or cushions arising from a branched, woody-based rootstock. The leaves are mostly basal in dense rosettes, thick and somewhat leathery, obovate to spathulate with entire or obscurely toothed margins, the firm Bergenia-like texture giving rise to the epithet. The flowering stems are short, erect and glandular-hairy, bearing few-flowered cymes; each flower has five spreading sepals and five obovate to oblong petals, white to pale yellow, around two whorls of stamens with a bicarpellate, partly inferior ovary. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between the divergent styles to release numerous small seeds.

Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae) is a large genus of cold-temperate and arctic-alpine regions, with the Sino-Himalaya a major centre of diversity; S. bergenioides is placed among the leathery-leaved Himalayan saxifrages. Its compact cushion habit is a classic adaptation to wind exposure, cold and physiological drought at extreme altitude. With its limited distribution and specialised high-alpine niche, it is potentially sensitive to climate warming, although its remote habitat currently buffers it from direct human pressures.

Author: C. Marquand · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Saxifrages of the World (Monograph of the Genus Saxifraga)

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga brunonis

by GP Jürgens

Ser.

Sikkim2003 222 P308
Sikkim Dzongri 3900m 08.2003
Sikkim2003 269 P371
Sikkim Dzongri 4200m August
Sikkim2003 271 P373
Sikkim Dzongri 4200m August

Description

Saxifraga brunonis is a high-alpine cushion-forming herb of the Himalaya and adjacent Tibetan ranges. GBIF records confirm its distribution through Nepal, India, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan, with around 332 occurrences concentrated in the eastern Himalayan high mountains. It is a plant of moist rock ledges, cliff crevices, mossy banks and stable scree at the upper limits of the alpine zone, often where seepage keeps the substrate cool and damp through the growing season. The photographed material from Dzongri in Sikkim at 3900–4200 m, collected in August, is characteristic of its preferred habitat in the summer-monsoon-watered alpine belt, where it flowers at the height of the brief growing season.

It forms low, spreading mats by means of slender, reddish, filiform stolons that root at the nodes to give rise to new rosettes. The leaves are small, oblong to spathulate, entire, fleshy and ciliate-margined, crowded into dense basal rosettes. The flowering stems are short and few-flowered, bearing bright yellow flowers with five free, spreading petals, ten stamens and a half-inferior to nearly superior bicarpellate ovary. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule dehiscing to release numerous minute seeds.

Within the large and taxonomically complex genus Saxifraga, S. brunonis is placed in section Ciliatae, a predominantly Sino-Himalayan group of stoloniferous and rosette-forming alpines. Its runner-mediated clonal spread is an effective strategy for colonising unstable rock surfaces, while seed reproduction allows dispersal to fresh sites. As a strictly high-altitude endemic of the central and eastern Himalaya, the species is potentially sensitive to the upward shift of alpine vegetation belts driven by climate warming.

Author: Ser. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of China (Saxifragaceae), Saxifrages of the World (Webb & Gornall)

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga caveana

by G & P Jürgens

W.W.Sm.

Nepal 99 657 ergebnis
Nepal Kagmara-La 4200m, July

Description

Saxifraga caveana W.W.Sm. is a high-alpine cushion saxifrage endemic to the Sino-Himalayan region, with GBIF records (c. 48 occurrences) from Bhutan, Nepal, China and India. It occupies the upper alpine zone, growing among rocks, on stony slopes, screes and in crevices of moist cliffs, typically between about 4,000 and 5,000 m. The photographed plant from the Kagmara-La in west Nepal at roughly 4,200 m, flowering in July, illustrates its habitat well: a cold, exposed, snow-fed pass environment where the short summer monsoon period coincides with peak flowering.

The species is a small perennial herb forming low tufts or loose cushions from a branched caudex. The leaves are mostly basal, rosulate, small, oblong to spathulate, often somewhat fleshy and ciliate at the margins, and may bear lime-secreting hydathode pores characteristic of many saxifrages. Flowering stems are short, glandular-pubescent, and bear one to few flowers. The flowers are typically pentamerous, with five free sepals and five obovate petals that are pale yellow to whitish, sometimes finely spotted; the ovary is more or less superior with two carpels developing into a capsule that dehisces apically to release numerous minute seeds.

Within the large and intricate genus Saxifraga, S. caveana belongs to the assemblage of Himalayan alpine species whose taxonomy has been clarified mainly through the work on section Ciliatae and related groups. As a narrow-range, high-elevation specialist, it is potentially vulnerable to climate-driven upward shifts of the alpine zone, though its remote habitat affords protection from direct human disturbance.

Author: W.W.Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of China Vol. 8, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, GBIF, Pan Jintang & Gornall: Saxifragaceae revisions

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga cordigera

by GP Jürgens

Hook. f. & Thomson

Sikkim2003 287 P396 ergebnis
Sikkim Samiti-Lake 2800m, August

Description

Saxifraga cordigera is an alpine perennial endemic to the eastern Himalaya, with GBIF documenting around 89 occurrences spanning Nepal, India, Bhutan and adjacent China. It is a plant of cool, humid high-elevation environments, growing on moist rocky slopes, ledges, banks and the margins of subalpine to alpine meadows where it benefits from constant atmospheric moisture and snowmelt seepage. The plant illustrated near Samiti Lake in Sikkim at about 2800 m in August was recorded during the monsoon flowering period, when these eastern Himalayan slopes are saturated and the saxifrages reach their peak.

It is a tufted to shortly stoloniferous herb forming loose rosettes of leaves that are characteristically cordate to reniform at the base, as the epithet implies, with crenate or dentate margins, somewhat fleshy texture and slender petioles. The flowering stems are erect and glandular-hairy, bearing few-flowered cymose inflorescences. The flowers are pentamerous with five spreading petals that are yellow, frequently spotted or flushed with orange or red, ten stamens, and a bicarpellate, semi-inferior ovary. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between the persistent styles to release numerous minute seeds.

The species belongs to the large and taxonomically complex genus Saxifraga, here placed in the yellow-flowered alliance traditionally referred to section Hirculus, a predominantly Sino-Himalayan radiation of moisture-loving alpine herbs. Such species are valuable indicators of intact high-altitude wetland and seepage habitats. While not formally evaluated for conservation status and locally frequent within its range, its dependence on cool, perennially moist niches makes it potentially vulnerable to warming and the desiccation of alpine seeps.

Author: Hook. f. & Thomson · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Hooker Flora of British India, Webb & Gornall A Manual of Saxifrages

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga diversifolia

by GP Jürgens

Wall. & Ser.

Nepal 95 134 P227 ergebnis
Nepal south of Rupien La 3600m October
Bhutan2012 501
Bhutan Pele-La 3100m, September
Bhutan2012 500
Bhutan Wangdi 3100m, September

Description

Saxifraga diversifolia Wall. & Ser. is a Sino-Himalayan alpine herb with GBIF recording 742 occurrences across China, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Bhutan and Pakistan. It is a plant of subalpine and alpine meadows, open slopes, shrubberies and damp grassy banks, typically growing between about 3000 and 4500 m. The cited collections — south of the Rupien La in Nepal at 3600 m in October, and from the Pele-La and Wangdi areas of Bhutan around 3100 m in September — show its broad occurrence through the central and eastern Himalaya and its autumn flowering at the close of the monsoon season.

The species is a tufted perennial arising from a short rhizome, with erect, leafy flowering stems. As the epithet diversifolia implies, the foliage is dimorphic: the basal leaves are long-petiolate with cordate to reniform blades, whereas the cauline leaves are progressively sessile and amplexicaul, clasping the stem. The inflorescence is a terminal cyme of several yellow flowers; each flower has five spreading petals, ten stamens, and a bicarpellate, partly inferior ovary. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between the divergent styles to release numerous small seeds.

Within the very large genus Saxifraga, this species is placed in the yellow-flowered section Hirculus, a predominantly Asian alpine group well represented in the Himalaya and on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Several Himalayan species of this section are morphologically close and have been variously circumscribed. The species is pollinated by alpine insects and is not considered threatened, being locally common across its extensive montane range, where it forms part of the diverse high-elevation meadow flora of the eastern Himalaya.

Author: Wall. & Ser. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of Nepal, Webb & Gornall monograph of Saxifrages

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga engleriana

by G & P Jürgens

Harry Sm.

Sikkim2003 201 G281 ergebnis
Sikkim Dzongri 3900m, August

Description

Saxifraga engleriana is a high-alpine perennial of the eastern Himalaya and adjacent southwestern China, recorded from China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Myanmar; its roughly 51 GBIF occurrences are concentrated in the alpine zone of the Sino-Himalayan ranges. It is a plant of cool, humid altitudes, as exemplified by the collection above Dzongri in Sikkim at about 3900 m in August, when flowering coincides with the late-monsoon growing season. It grows in moist alpine turf, on rock ledges and in cliff crevices kept damp by snowmelt and cloud condensation, within the cushion-plant and dwarf-herb communities of the subnival belt.

The plant forms low, tufted to loosely matted growth from a branched caudex, the slender stems bearing small, somewhat fleshy leaves that may carry lime-secreting chalk glands at their margins, a trait of the encrusted silver saxifrages. The glandular-hairy flowering stems carry few-flowered cymes of small flowers with five free, usually white to pale petals, five sepals, ten stamens and a bicarpellate, semi-inferior ovary. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between persistent styles to release numerous minute seeds.

Saxifraga is a large, predominantly arctic-alpine genus whose Himalayan species are partitioned among sections distinguished by leaf encrustation and indumentum; S. engleriana belongs among the lime-encrusted alpines centred on the high mountains of central Asia. As a narrowly distributed orophyte of a cold, fragmenting habitat, it is potentially sensitive to climate-driven upslope contraction of the alpine zone, though its remoteness affords protection from direct disturbance.

Author: Harry Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 8, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, Flora of Nepal, Saxifrages of the World (Webb & Gornall)

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga erinacea

by GP Jürgens

Harry Sm.

BhutanPG2011 465
Bhutan Jule-Tso, 4300m June

Description

Saxifraga erinacea is a high-alpine cushion saxifrage of the eastern Himalaya, with a narrow distribution recorded by GBIF only from China (south-eastern Tibet) and Bhutan (12 occurrences), pointing to a restricted Sino-Himalayan range. It inhabits open alpine turf, fine scree, rock crevices and moist gravelly slopes well above the treeline, typically between about 4000 and 4800 m. The photographed plant from Jule-Tso in Bhutan at 4300 m, flowering in June, exemplifies its preference for the cold, exposed, snow-influenced alpine zone where it forms low mats among rocks moistened by snowmelt.

The species is a small, tufted to loosely cushion-forming perennial herb, the name erinacea (hedgehog-like) alluding to its bristly, congested habit. The leaves are small, narrowly oblong to linear, often rigid, marginally ciliate or setose and crowded into dense rosettes or low mats. Flowering stems are short, glandular-hairy, bearing one to few flowers held just above the foliage. Each flower is small and pentamerous, with five spreading petals (typically yellow to pale yellow) exceeding the calyx, ten stamens, and a bicarpellate ovary that is more or less superior. The fruit is a two-beaked capsule splitting between the divergent styles to shed numerous minute seeds.

Described by Harry Smith, a leading specialist on Asian Saxifraga, the species belongs within the large and morphologically diverse genus Saxifraga, most likely allied to the yellow-flowered alpine sections of the Sino-Himalaya. Its dense cushion architecture is a classic adaptation to cold, wind-exposed, desiccating high-mountain habitats, conserving heat and moisture. Given its apparently localised range and specialised alpine niche, the species is potentially sensitive to climate warming and upslope habitat compression, though it remains formally unassessed.

Author: Harry Sm. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Saxifrages: The Complete Cultivars and Species (McGregor)

Saxifragaceae

Saxifraga filicaulis

by GP Jürgens

Wall. & Ser.

Bhutan2012 916 ergebnis
Bhutan Tumching-La 4100m, October
Bhutan2012 917 ergebnis
Bhutan Tumching-La 4100m, October

Description

Saxifraga filicaulis is a Himalayan saxifrage distributed across China, India, Nepal and Bhutan, well represented in GBIF with about 328 occurrences. It is a plant of the alpine and upper subalpine zone, inhabiting moist rock ledges, mossy slopes, streamsides, screes and turfy banks, broadly between about 3000 and 4500 m. The record from the Tumching-La in Bhutan at 4100 m in October reflects its presence near high passes and its late-season persistence, where snowmelt seepage and cool, humid conditions favour these small rosette and mat-forming herbs.

It is a slender perennial whose specific epithet, "filicaulis" (thread-stemmed), describes its fine, wiry, often trailing or decumbent stems that root at the nodes and form loose mats. The leaves are small, the lower ones petiolate and the upper sessile, ovate to oblong, sometimes shortly ciliate. The flowers are borne singly or in few-flowered cymes on slender stalks; each has five free, spreading, usually yellow petals, often dotted with orange or reddish flecks, five sepals, ten stamens and a half-inferior ovary of two carpels with two short styles. The fruit is a beaked capsule splitting between the divergent styles.

Saxifraga is a large genus centred on the cold mountains of the Northern Hemisphere, with a notable secondary diversification in the Sino-Himalaya where sectional complexes such as the yellow-flowered Ciliatae are richly developed. S. filicaulis belongs to this Himalayan radiation, its stoloniferous, mat-forming habit being an effective strategy for colonising unstable, moist alpine substrates. It is widespread and not of conservation concern.

Author: Wall. & Ser. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Saxifraga monograph (Gornall / Pan)