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Saxifragaceae
Purple Saxifrage
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Endurance against all odds.
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Genus
- Saxifraga
- Native to
- Arctic regions, Alpine Europe, Northern North America
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 1-3 in
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky, alkaline
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 2-6
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- It holds the record as the northernmost flowering plant on Earth, found at 83 degrees north latitude on Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland.
- Purple saxifrage can photosynthesize at temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius, a remarkable adaptation to Arctic life.
- The name 'saxifrage' means 'stone breaker' in Latin, as the plant grows in rock crevices and appears to split the stone.
- It is the territorial flower of Nunavut, Canada, chosen because Inuit people traditionally ate its slightly sweet flowers.
- Individual plants can live for over 100 years, slowly spreading across rock faces just millimeters per year.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
tenacity
2
affection