Saxifraga cespitosa
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2015}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Saxifraga_cespitosa_4759.JPG
|genus = Saxifraga
|species = cespitosa
|authority = L.
|synonyms = Saxifraga caespitosa (orth. var.)
}}
Saxifraga cespitosa, the tufted alpine saxifrage{{PLANTS|id=SACA50|taxon=Saxifraga caespitosa|accessdate=6 November 2015}} or tufted saxifrage, is a species of flowering plant common to many arctic heights. It appears further south in mountainous areas of the Alps, Norway, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Siberia, western North America and Greenland.
Densely tufted from a stout taproot, the plant has very short stems with withered, dead leaves at the base. The leaves have three to five lobes; both leaves and calyx exhibit trichomes in the form of glandular hair. Flowering stems range from 5–10 cm, with one or two flowers per stem. Its petals are white, twice the length of the calyx lobes. Smaller specimens, with shorter stems and smaller, yellowish-greenish petals (with uniflorous variants), are rather frequent.
The tufted saxifrage grows on ledges and gravelly places.
It became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act.{{Cite web|url=http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1975/october/conservation.htm|title = Caithness CWS - Caithness Field Club - Annual Bulletins - 1975 - October - Conservation}}
File:tuftedsaxifrage-1.jpg|Tufted saxifrage
File:tuftedsaxifrage-2.jpg|Tufted saxifrage
File:tuftedsaxifrage-3.jpg|Tufted saxifrage
File:tuftedsaxifrage1-1.jpg|Tufted saxifrage
File:Saxifraga cespitosa - Tuftedsaxifrage2-1.jpg|Smaller yellowish var.
File:tuftedsaxifrage3-1.jpg|Smaller yellowish var.
File:Saxifraga cespitosa - Tuftedsaxifrage4-1.jpg|Smaller var.
References
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External links
- {{Commons-inline|Saxifraga cespitosa|Saxifraga cespitosa}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Saxifraga cespitosa|Saxifraga cespitosa}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q133851}}
Category:Plants described in 1753
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Saxifragaceae-stub}}