Saxifrage Family – Saxifragaceae

Bolandra is also called Northern Coolwort and Oregon Bolandra.

Plant Description: Bolandra has stems that are up to 2 feet long, hairy, slender, branched, erect or sometimes arching. The 6 to 18 flowers are on long petioles, in a loose panicle with several side branches, these each having 1 to 7 flowers. The basal leaves are 2.5 inches long, on long petioles, palmately-veined, heart-shaped with shallow lobes with small sharp teeth. The 2 to 4 stem leaves are kidney shaped, lobed, toothed, and much reduced in size.

Flower Description: The flowers are 1/2 inch across. The 5 yellow-green sepals are united to form a globe with the pointy lobes reflexing out and back.  5 petals emerge from between the sepals on a hypanthium (the ridge on the edge of the cup) and are very narrow, about 1 inch long, reddish purple to dark purple, and reflexing out and back. 5 short stamen emerge from the hypanthium in front of the sepals.  There is a two-carpeled ovary inside the cup.

Ecology: Bolandra may be found on moist shady cliffs, in the lower Columbia River Gorge in Washington and Oregon and in the Snake River region of eastern Oregon and Idaho, often near waterfalls.