Saxifrage Family – Saxifragaceae
Actual flower size: 1/2 inch across
Nelson’s Brook Saxifrage is also called Heart-leaved Saxifrage. Former Latin names for this flower were Saxifraga nelsoniana and Saxifrage punctata.
Plant Description: Nelson’s Brook Saxifrage is a 5 to 7 inch tall perennial. The flowering stems are hairless below and hairy above, branching with many tiny flowers. The plants never have bulblets. The long-stemmed basal leaves are hairless, round, 1 to 3 inches across, fleshy, with regularly spaced, gland-tipped teeth.
Flower Description: The flowers are 1/2 inch across. The sepals are white, oval and somewhat reflexed. The petals are nearly round, about 1/4 inch long, longer than the sepals, narrowing to the base, and rarely spotted. The stamen are white and club-shaped. There are two flaring carpels which turn red after pollination.
Ecology: Nelson’s Brook Saxifrage grows along mountain streams, waterfalls, and in crevices at middle to high elevations
Note: The genus of Nelson’s Brook Saxifrage has recently been changed from Saxifrage to Micranthes. See the note below the gallery on the Saxifrage Family page and the “APG Changes” page for more information.