Saxifraga COTYLEDON

Saxifraga COTYLEDON - Blunt-leaved saxifrage, Saxifraga cotyledon, Pyramidal saxifrage.

A perennial herbaceous plant forming a glaucous-green turf. Stems 5-45 cm (2-18 in) high, glandular-pubescent above, glabrous in the lower part, branched from the middle or higher, with ascending 1-5-flowered branchlets. Rosette leaves thickish, ligulate or obovate, 4.5-5 mm (0.18-0.20 in) long, 2.5-7 mm (0.10-0.28 in) wide, flattened above, obtuse, acute, or acuminate, with a cartilaginous finely serrate margin, along the upper margin with a row of numerous pits usually covered with lime scales, glabrous, ciliate at the base. Cauline leaves reduced. Calyx segments ovate or ovate-triangular, shorter than its tube. Petals white or yellowish, sometimes with purple dots, obovate or elliptic, 3-6 mm (0.12-0.24 in) long, 1.5-2 times longer than the calyx segments. Ovary almost inferior. Fruit rounded, 3-6 mm (0.12-0.24 in) long, with nearly straight styles and straight calyx segments. Flowering from June to August. Distributed on rocks and stony places, predominantly rich in lime. General distribution: mountains of Central and Southern Europe, Carpathians.

Blunt-leaved saxifrage grows in the Southern Alps, Central Pyrenees, Norway, and Iceland, exclusively on igneous rocks. A plant with green, broadly lanceolate leaves gathered in a basal rosette, rigid, finely dentate along the margin, petiolate. Cauline leaves in the upper part are divided into three obtuse lobes. Flowers are white, numerous, gathered in a branched, delicate, paniculate inflorescence located on a large peduncle up to 20-60 cm (8-24 in) high densely covered with hairs. It blooms in June for 20 days. It sets fruit. It prefers well-lit places, but does not tolerate direct sunlight. The only representative of the genus that prefers acidic soil. In cultivation since the end of the 17th century. Sometimes used as a pot plant. Propagated by daughter rosettes and seeds.

It is desirable to sow the seeds before winter, as many species require stratification ranging from several weeks to several months. Not all saxifrages require a cold period for seed germination, but no species will suffer from it. Because the seeds are very small, they are hardly buried, only slightly sprinkled with sand. After transferring the sowings to a warm room, seeds germinate in 2-3 weeks. Seedlings are pricked out after the development of a true leaf. In June-July, they are planted in a permanent place, maintaining a distance of 10-30 cm (4-12 in) depending on the species, and covered for winter with a layer of leaves of 10 cm (4 in). In open ground, they germinate in 4-6 weeks.

Special notes: Seeds are very (!) small.

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Saxifrage prefers partial shade; under bright lighting, the leaves become faded. In summer, it should be shaded from direct sunlight, and it is also recommended to take the plant out into fresh air. In the spring-summer period, the optimal temperature for maintenance is 20-25 °C (68-77 °F). In winter, cool maintenance at 12-15 °C (54-59 °F) is required, for variegated forms 15-18 °C (59-64 °F). It responds well to increased air humidity. In summer, on particularly hot days, and in winter, when kept in a room with heating turned on, the pot can be placed on a wide tray with moist expanded clay or the leaves can be sprayed regularly. During the period of active growth, the saxifrage is watered moderately, as the top layer of soil dries out. When watering, water must not be allowed to enter the leaf rosette, so it is better to water from the tray. After the entire soil ball is saturated with moisture, excess water is drained from the tray. In the cool season, watering is reduced, but drying out of the soil ball is not allowed.