Alpine Saxifrage, Tolmie's Alpine Saxifrage, Tolmie's Saxifrage

Alpine saxifrage is a tufted, cushion or mat forming perennial. The herbage is mostly smooth. The leaves are fleshy and closely crowded together on the upright, sterile stems. The leaves are spatulate or oblanceolate, narrowing to a wide petiole. They range from 3-10 mm in length. The margins may be curled under.

The inflorescence is atop an erect stem from 3-8 cm high. The flower stem may be smooth or may be covered with purple-tipped hairs, and the stem is leafless, or may have 1-3 reduced leaves. The flowers are single or 1-4 in a loose cyme. The smooth calyx is purple-tinged, saucer-shaped, and with oval to oblong-ovate lobes from 2-3 mm long. The lobes spread outward. The 5-7 white petals are up to twice as long as the calyx lobes See photo at right.). They are elliptic-obovate to broadly oblanceolate in shape. The stamens are opposite the petals, about as long as the calyx and are red-tipped. The seed capsule is purplish-mottled (See photo below.).

Alpine saxifrage is an alpine plant, often found near streams in mountain meadows, or it may be found in the moist shadows of talus, in rock crevices, or on scree.

Alpine saxifrage may be found from Alaska south through the Cascade Mts. (and Vancouver Island and the Olympic Mts.) to the Sierra Nevada of central California. It is known from the Bitterroot Mts. of Montana and Idaho.