Saxifraga HOSTII

Saxifraga HOSTII - Host's saxifrage, Saxifraga hostii.

A perennial herbaceous plant forming a grayish-green turf. Stems are 5-45 cm (2.0-17.7 in) tall, glandular-pubescent above, glabrous in the lower part, branched from the middle or higher, with ascending 1-5-flowered branches. Rosette leaves are somewhat thick, strap-shaped 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 pointed, 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 are reduced. Calyx segments are ovate or ovate-triangular, shorter than its tube. Petals are 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 is almost inferior. Fruit is rounded, 3-6 mm (0.12-0.24 in) long, with nearly straight styles and straight calyx segments. Flowering is from June to August. Distributed on rocks and stony places, predominantly rich in lime. General distribution: mountains of Central and Southern Europe, Carpathians.

Host's saxifrage forms rosettes up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter; leaves are narrow, up to 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long, finely pleated, hard and brittle, dark green. Inflorescences are erect, up to 60 cm (23.6 in) tall, densely leafy. The inflorescence is a panicle-raceme, widening at the tip; flowers are milky-white, often with purple spots, in May-June. The leaf rosettes are very ornamental in autumn when they turn red.

It is desirable to sow 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. Since the seeds are very small, they are barely covered, only lightly dusted 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 out in a permanent location, maintaining a distance of 10-30 cm (3.9-11.8 in) depending on the species, and covered for winter with a 10 cm (3.9 in) layer of leaves. In open ground, they germinate in 4-6 weeks.

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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 the fresh air. In the spring-summer period, the optimal temperature for keeping is 20-25 °C (68-77 °F). In winter, cool keeping 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 indoors with heating turned on, the pot can be placed on a wide tray with wet expanded clay or the leaves sprayed regularly. During the period of active growth, the saxifrage is watered moderately as the topsoil dries out. When watering, water must not enter the leaf rosette, so it is better to water from the bottom tray. After the entire root ball is saturated with moisture, excess water is drained from the tray. In the cool season, watering is reduced, but drying out of the root ball is not allowed.