Hello, is genus saxifraga correct? Can something be said about the species? (plant found in July in Banff National Park) Michael
Hi Michael, yellow saxifrage (Saxifraga aizoides) should be correct. I haven't got any books about the flora of Alberta but Banff is not far from B.C. and the plant looks almost the same as the specimens of Saxifraga aizoides which I found in Switzerland (see e. g. http://www.flogaus-faust.de/e/saxiaizo.htm and http://www.flogaus-faust.de/e/saxiaiz0.htm).
Plants of the Rocky Mountains (Lone Pine Publishing) shows that one under stoloniferous saxifrage (S. flagellaris), says "Evergreen saxifrage (S. aizoides), also called yellow saxifrage, is another small, yellow-flowered saxifrage, but its plants lack stolons and its linear leaves are succulent, hairless, and borne mainly on the stems (rather than in basal rosettes)." Stoloniferous saxifrage has leaves "mainly in basal rosettes, lance-shaped, spine-tipped, 5-15 mm long, fringed with stiff hairs, stem leaves few, gradually smaller upwards."
Hi Ron, Saxifraga flagellaris looks very different and the "Illustrated Flora of British Columbia" lists it as a separate species. Look here for images of Saxifraga flagellaris: http://www.aventurearctique.com/faune_flore/flore_saxifrage_araigne.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxifraga_flagellaris I am pretty sure that Michael's plant is Saxifraga aizoides.
Thank you to you both, Saxifraga aizoides is not uncommon in the Alps, and I even have some photos from Austria. But I was not sure, whether there are similar species in Canada. Michael
The Lone Pine book does not say they are the same species, quite the opposite. They are shown together because of general similarity.
