Saxifraga (Saxifrages)

Douglas E Soltis, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Published online: March 2003

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003715

The common name saxifrage may be used in a narrow sense to refer to members of the large genus Saxifraga (as well as the genus Micranthes) or in a broader sense to refer to the entire family Saxifragaceae.

Keywords: lithophragma; mitella; astilbe; rodgersia; heuchera; boykinia; chrysosplenium; saxifraga; micranthes

Figure 1. Chrysosplenium species; sometimes called ‘golden saxifrage’.
Figure 2. Saxifraga fortunei.
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 Further Reading
    Brochmann C, Xiang Q-Y, Brunsfeld SJ, Soltis DE and Soltis PS (1998) Molecular evidence for origins of polyploid Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae): The narrow arctic endemic S. svalbardensis and its widespread allies. American Journal of Botany 85: 135–143.
    Conti E, Soltis DE, Hardig TM and Schneider J (1999) Phylogenetic relationships of the silver saxifrages (Saxifraga, sect. Ligulatae Haworth): Implications for the evolution of substrate specificity, life histories, and biogeography. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 13: 536–555.
    book Jintang P, Cuizhi G, Shumei H et al. (2001) "Saxifragaceae". In: Wu Z and Raven PH (eds) Flora of China, vol. 8: Brassicaceae-Saxifragaceae. St Louis, MO: Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden.
    Soltis DE, Grable A, Morgan D, Soltis PS and Kuzoff R (1993) Molecular systematics of Saxifragaceae sensu stricto. American Journal of Botany 80: 1056–1081.
    Soltis DE, Kuzoff RK, Conti E, Gornall R and Ferguson K (1996) matK and rbcL gene sequence data indicate that Saxifraga is polyphyletic. American Journal of Botany 83: 371–382.
    Soltis DE, Mort ME, Kuzoff R et al. (2001) Elucidating deep-level phylogenetic relationships in Saxifragaceae using sequences for six chloroplastic and nuclear DNA regions. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 88: 669–693.
    book Webb DA and Gornall RJ (1988) A Manual of Saxifrages. Portland: Timber Press.

Related Sub-Topics:

Plant Development | Diversification of Plants and Animals | Classification | Biogeography and Macroecology | Life History and Reproduction | Plant Evolution | Plant Ecology
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Article Title: Saxifraga (Saxifrages)
 
How to Cite close
Soltis, Douglas E(Mar 2003) Saxifraga (Saxifrages). In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0003715]