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Taxon  Report  
Saxifraga hyperborea  R. Br.
Pygmy saxifrage
Saxifraga hyperborea is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Saxifraga
Family: Saxifragaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Communities: Alpine Fell-fields

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
ICPNSaxifraga debilis
PLANTSSaxifraga rivularis var. hyperborea
Information about  Saxifraga hyperborea from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (SAHY)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

Saxifraga: from the Latin saxum, "a rock," and frango, "to break," and referring to the fact that by growing in rock crevices they appear to break rocks (contributed by Cynthia Powell)

[Wikipedia] Range, Habitat, Description: Saxifraga hyperborea, the pygmy saxifrage, is a plant species native to Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Spitsbergen, and from mountainous areas in the western United States. One report from Mount Washington in New Hampshire is unverified. The plant grows in wet tundra, snow banks, stream banks and lake sides at elevations up to 3000 m. The US populations have been called S. debilis or S. rivularis in various publications.[3] Saxifraga hyperborea is a small mat-forming herb sometimes appearing purple, with a woody caudex. Flowers are purple or white, up to 5 mm across. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/04/2024).