Saxifraga granulata L.
Meadow Saxifrage
Meadow saxifrage is a native perennial and the only saxifrage of British lowland grassland, with a local distribution that has sadly contracted as old meadows have been lost. It forms a basal rosette of kidney-shaped, bluntly lobed leaves and, in spring, sends up branched stems carrying loose clusters of clean white, five-petalled flowers.
About
Meadow saxifrage is a native perennial and the only saxifrage of British lowland grassland, with a local distribution that has sadly contracted as old meadows have been lost. It forms a basal rosette of kidney-shaped, bluntly lobed leaves and, in spring, sends up branched stems carrying loose clusters of clean white, five-petalled flowers. It survives summer drought by dying back to small underground bulbils (the 'granulata' of its name), regrowing the following season.
It is a plant of unimproved, base-rich or neutral grassland on damp but free-draining soils, found in old hay meadows, extensively grazed pastures, downland, churchyards, hedgebanks and grassy verges. Flowering from April to June, it provides early-season nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. A lovely, increasingly precious addition to species-rich spring meadows and conservation grassland; because it depends on long-established, unfertilised turf, it rewards patience and low-intensity management.
Also known as
fair-maids-of-France
Synonyms
Evaiezoa granulata · Saxifraga aemula · Saxifraga alba · Saxifraga altifida · Saxifraga bulbifera granulata · Saxifraga bulbosa · Saxifraga carnosa · Saxifraga castellana
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