Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 473 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils.Roger Spencer, ed. Horticultural Flora of South-Eastern Australia. UNSW Press, 2002. p. 81. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ("rock" or "stone") + ("to break"). It is usually thought to indicate a medicinal use for treatment of urinary calculi (known as kidney or bladder stones), rather than breaking rocks apart.
Description
Most saxifrages are small perennial, biennial (e.g., S. adscendens) or annual (e.g., S. tridactylites) herbaceous plants whose basal or cauline leaves grow close to the ground, often in a rosette. The leaves typically have a more or less incised margin; they may be succulent, needle-like and/or hairy, reducing evaporation.
The inflorescence or single flower clusters rise above the main plant body on naked stalks. The small actinomorphic hermaphrodite flowers have five petals and sepals and are usually white, but red to yellow in some species. Stamens, usually ten, rarely eight, insert at the junction of the floral tube and ovary wall, with filaments subulate or clavate. As in other primitive eudicots, some of the five or ten stamens may appear petal-like. It lives in tundral ecosystems.
Taxonomy A genus of about 473 species. The former monotypic genus Saxifragella has been submersed within Saxifraga, the largest genus in Saxifragaceae, as Saxifraga bicuspidata. Also, the genus Saxifragopsis (strawberry saxifrage) was previously included in Saxifraga.
Subdivision
Based on morphological criteria, up to 15 sections were recognised. Subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies reduced this to 13 sections with 9 subsections. The former sections Micranthes and Merkianae are more closely related to the Boykinia and Heuchera clades. Modern floras separate these groups as the genus Micranthes.Flora of China
The thirteen sections (with subsections) are: Irregulares Saxifragella Pseudocymbalaria Bronchiales Ciliatae Cymbalaria Cotylea Gymnopera Mesogyne Trachyphyllum Ligulatae Porphyrion Squarrosae Mutatae Oppositifoliae Florulentae Kabschia Saxifraga Tridactylites Androsaceae Arachnoideae Saxifraga
Selected species
As of August 2026, 476 species and many hybrids are accepted.
Saxifraga adscendens – ascending saxifrage Saxifraga aizoides – Yellow mountain saxifrage,Umberto Quattrocchi. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology. CRC Press, 1999. p.2395-2396. yellow saxifrage Saxifraga anadyrensis Saxifraga androsacea Saxifraga aquatica Saxifraga arachnoidea Saxifraga × arendsii – mossy saxifrage, mossy rockfoil (artificial hybrid of S. hypnoides × S. moschata × S. rosacea) Saxifraga aspera L. – rough saxifrage, stiff-haired saxifrage Saxifraga bicuspidata Saxifraga biflora Saxifraga brachypoda Saxifraga bronchialis L. – matte saxifrage Saxifraga bryoides L. – mossy saxifrage Saxifraga burseriana L. – AGM Saxifraga caesia – blue green saxifrage Saxifraga callosa Sm. – limestone saxifrage Saxifraga canaliculata Saxifraga carpatica Saxifraga cernua – drooping saxifrage, nodding saxifrage, bulblet saxifrage Saxifraga cespitosa – tufted saxifrage Saxifraga cochlearis – spoon-leaved saxifrage Saxifraga columnaris Schmalh. Saxifraga corsica Saxifraga consanguinea W.W.Sm. Saxifraga cotyledon L. – great alpine rockfoil, greater evergreen saxifrage Saxifraga crustata Vest. – crusted-leaved saxifraga, silver saxifrage, encrusted saxifrage Saxifraga cuneifolia – shield-leaved saxifrage, lesser London pride Saxifraga cymbalaria – celandine saxifrage Saxifraga dinnikii Schmalh. Saxifraga duthiei Saxifraga eschscholtzii – cushion saxifrage Saxifraga exarata – furrowed saxifrage Saxifraga federici-augusti Saxifraga flagellaris Willd. ex Sternb. – whiplash saxifrage, spider saxifrage, "spider plant" Saxifraga florulenta Saxifraga fortunei Hook.f. – fortune saxifrage Saxifraga × geum – Robertsoniana saxifrage (S. hirsuta x S. umbrosa) Saxifraga globulifera – Gibraltar saxifrage Saxifraga granulata L. – meadow saxifrage, bulbous saxifrage, fair maids of France (type species) Saxifraga hederacea Saxifraga hirculus L. – yellow marsh saxifrage, marsh saxifrage, "bog saxifrage" Saxifraga hirsuta – kidney saxifrage Saxifraga hyperborea – pygmy saxifrage Saxifraga hypnoides – mossy saxifrage, Dovedale moss Saxifraga juniperifolia Saxifraga korshinskii Kom. Saxifraga lactea Turcz. Saxifraga longifolia – Pyrenean saxifrage Saxifraga maderensis – Madeira saxifrage, Madeira breakstone Saxifraga marginata Saxifraga moschata – musky saxifrage, mossy saxifrage Saxifraga muscoides Saxifraga mutata Saxifraga nathorstii (Dusén) Hayek – East Greenland saxifrage Saxifraga nipponica Saxifraga oppositifolia – purple saxifrage, purple mountain saxifrage Saxifraga osloensis Knaben – Oslo saxifrage, a natural hybrid species Saxifraga paniculata – lifelong saxifrage, white mountain saxifrage Saxifraga paradoxa Sternb. – Fragile saxifraga Saxifraga petraea Saxifraga platysepala (= S. flagellaris auct. non Willd.) – broadsepal saxifrage Saxifraga porophylla Saxifraga rivularis – alpine brook saxifrage, brook saxifrage, highland saxifrage Saxifraga rosacea – Irish saxifrage Saxifraga rotundifolia L. – round-leaved saxifrage Saxifraga roylei Saxifraga rudolphiana Saxifraga rufescens Saxifraga rufopilosa – redhair saxifrage Saxifraga sancta Saxifraga serpyllifolia – thymeleaf saxifrage Saxifraga sibirica – Siberian saxifrage Saxifraga spathularis – Saint Patrick's cabbage Saxifraga squarrosa – Dolomites saxifrage Saxifraga stolonifera – creeping saxifrage, strawberry saxifrage, creeping rockfoil, strawberry begonia, strawberry geranium, Aaron's beard Saxifraga stolonifera f. aptera (Makino) H.Hara – hoshizaki-yukinoshita (Japanese) Saxifraga stolonifera 'Cuscutiformis' (Saxifraga cuscutiformis Lodd.) – Dodder-like saxifrage Saxifraga subverticillata Saxifraga svalbardensis Saxifraga taygetea Saxifraga taylorii – Taylor's saxifrage Saxifraga tenella Saxifraga tombeanensis Saxifraga tricuspidata Rottb. – prickly saxifrage Saxifraga tridactylites – rue-leaved saxifrage, "nailwort" Saxifraga trifurcata Saxifraga umbrosa – Pyrenean saxifrage Saxifraga × urbium – London pride (artificial hybrid of S. spathularis × S. umbrosa) Saxifraga vandelli Saxifraga wahlenbergii
Formerly placed here Plants formerly placed in Saxifraga are mainly but not exclusively Saxifragaceae. They include: Astilboides tabularis, as S. tabularis Bergenia crassifolia, as S. cordifolia, S. crassifolia Bergenia pacumbis, as S. ligulata, S. pacumbis Bergenia purpurascens, as S. delavayi, S. purpurascens Boykinia jamesii, as S. jamesii Boykinia occidentalis (Coastal Brookfoam), as S. elata Boykinia richardsonii (Richardson's Brookfoam), as S. richardsonii Darmera peltata (Indian Rhubarb), as S. peltata Leptarrhena pyrolifolia, as S. pyrolifolia Luetkea pectinata (Partridgefoot), as S. pectinata Micranthes, including: Micranthes integrifolia (wholeleaf saxifrage) Micranthes howellii (Howell's saxifrage), as S. howellii Micranthes mertensiana , as S. mertensiana Micranthes stellaris (Starry saxifrage), as S. stellaris Mukdenia rossii (Mukdenia), as S. rossii
Other "saxifragous" plants Several plant genera have names referring to saxifrages, although they might not be close relatives of Saxifraga. They include: Golden-saxifrages, Chrysosplenium Burnet-saxifrages, Pimpinella Pepper-saxifrage, Silaum silaus. The name "silaum" comes from the Latin word sil, which means yellow ochre. This refers to the sulphurous yellow colour of the flowers.Reader's Digest Nature Lover's Library Wild Flowers of Britain, page 192, published 1988
Some plants refer to Saxifraga in their generic names or specific epithets, either because they are also "rock-breaking" or because they resemble members of the saxifrage genus: Campanula saxifraga Celmisia saxifraga (Benth.) W.M.Curtis Cineraria saxifraga DC. Dryopteris saxifraga Petrorhagia saxifraga – Tunicflower Pimpinella saxifraga – Burnet saxifrage Ptychotis saxifraga Saxifragella Saxifragodes Saxifragopsis Small
Ecology
Saxifrages are typical inhabitants of Arctic–alpine ecosystems, and are hardly ever found outside the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere; most members of this genus are found in subarctic climates. A good number of species grow in glacial habitats, such as S. biflora which can be found some above sea level in the Alps, or the East Greenland saxifrage (S. nathorstii). The genus is also abundant in the Eastern and Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows. Though the archetypal saxifrage is a small plant huddling between rocks high up on a mountain, many species do not occur in such a habitat and are larger (though still rather delicate) plants found on wet meadows.
Various Saxifraga species are used as food plants by the caterpillars of some butterflies and moths, such as the Phoebus Apollo (Parnassius phoebus).
Charles Darwin – erroneously believing Saxifraga to be allied to the sundew family (Droseraceae) – suspected the sticky-leaved round-leaved saxifrage (S. rotundifolia), rue-leaved saxifrage (S. tridactylites) and Pyrenean saxifrage (S. umbrosa) to be protocarnivorous plants, and conducted some experiments whose results supported his observations. In 2026, Saxifraga candelabrum was confirmed to be carnivorous. The experiment used labelled Nitrogen-14 isotope-fed Drosophila which were placed on the sticky leaves. The proteins of the flies was broken down and the nitrogen was found to be absorbed into the plants to confirm carnivory.
Cultivation
Numerous species and cultivars of saxifrage are cultivated as ornamental garden plants, valued particularly as groundcover or as cushion plants in rock gardens and alpine gardens. Many require alkaline or neutral soil to thrive.
S. × urbium (London pride), a hybrid between Pyrenean saxifrage (S. umbrosa) and St. Patrick's cabbage (S. spathularis), is commonly grown as an ornamental plant. Another horticultural hybrid is Robertsoniana saxifrage (S. × geum), derived from kidney saxifrage (S. hirsuta) and Pyrenean saxifrage. Some wild species are also used in gardening. Cambridge University Botanic Garden hosts the United Kingdom's national collection of saxifrages.
Award of Garden Merit The following species and cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
'Angelina Johnson' (fortunei) 'Blackberry and Apple Pie' (fortunei) S. callosa (limestone saxifrage) 'Conwy Snow' (fortunei) 'Coolock Kate' 'Cumulus' S. fortunei 'Gregor Mendel' (× apiculata) 'Lagraveana' (paniculata) 'Lutea' 'Minor' 'Moe' (fortunei) 'Monarch' 'Mount Nachi' (fortunei) 'Peach Melba' 'Reginald Farrer' (Silver Farreri Group) 'Rokujo' (fortunei) 'Rosea' 'Shiranami' (fortunei) 'Slack's Ruby Southside' (Southside Seedling Group) 'Snowflake' (Silver Farreri Group) 'Southside Star' (Southside Seedling Group) S. stolonifera (strawberry saxifrage) 'Sue Drew' (fortunei) 'Sugar Plum Fairy'='Toujya' (fortunei) 'Theoden' 'Tumbling Waters' S. × urbium (London pride) 'Venetia' (paniculata) 'Whitehill'
Uses
The leaves of some saxifrage species, such as creeping saxifrage (S. stolonifera) and S. pensylvanica, are edible. The former is a food in Korea and Japan. The flowers of purple saxifrage (S. oppositifolia) are eaten in Nunavut, Canada and the leaves and stems brewed as a tea.Official Flower of Nunavut, Nunavut, Canada
Species are also used in traditional medicine, such as creeping saxifrage in East Asia and round-leaved saxifrage (S. rotundifolia) in Europe.
Two species—purple saxifrage and creeping saxifrage—are popular floral emblems. They are official flowers for:
Nunavut, Canada - purple saxifrage County Londonderry, Northern Ireland - purple saxifrageCounty flowers in Britain www.plantlife.org.uk