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SAXIFRAGA

Volume 9 · 463 words · 1778 Edition

SAXIFRAGE; a genus of the di- gynia order, belonging to the decandra class of plants. There are 38 species; of which the most remarkable are, 1. The granulata, or white saxifrage, which grows naturally in the meadows in many parts of England. The roots of this plant are like grains of corn, of a reddish colour without; from which arise kidney- shaped hairy leaves, standing upon pretty long foot- stalks. The stalks are thick, a foot high, hairy, and furrowed; these branch out from the bottom, and have a few small leaves like those below, which fit close to the stalk: the flowers terminate the stalk, growing in small clusters; they have five white petals, including ten stamens and the two styles. There is a variety of this with double flowers, which is very ornamental. 2. The pyramidalis, with a pyramidal stalk, grows na- turally on the mountains of Italy. The leaves are tongue-shaped, gathered into heads, rounded at their points, and have cartilaginous and sawed borders. The stalk rises two feet and a half high, branching out near the ground, forming a natural pyramid to the top. The flowers have five white wedge-shaped petals, and ten stamens, placed circularly the length of the tube, terminated by roundish purple summits. When these plants are strong, they produce very large pyramids of flowers, which make a fine appearance. 3. The puncta- tata, commonly called London-pride, or none-so-pretty, grows naturally on the Alps, and also in great plenty on a mountain of Ireland called Mangerton, in the coun- ty of Kerry in that island. The roots of this are per- ennial; the leaves are oblong, oval, and placed cir- cularly at bottom. They have broad, flat, furrowed foot-stalks, and are deeply crenated at their edges, which are white. The stalk rises a foot high, is of a purple colour, stiff, slender, and hairy. It extends out from the side on the upper part several short foot- stalks, which are terminated by white flowers spotted with red. 4. The oppositiflora, grows naturally on the Alps, Pyrenees, and Helvetian mountains; it is also found pretty plentifully growing upon Ingleborough hill in Yorkshire, Snowdon in Wales, and some other places. It is a perennial plant, with stalks trailing up- on the ground, and are seldom more than two inches long, garnished with small oval leaves standing oppo- site, which lie over one another like the scales of fish; they are of a brown green colour, and have a resem- blance of heath. The flowers are produced at the end of the branches, of a deep blue; so make a pretty appearance during their continuance, which is great part of March and the beginning of April. All these species are easily propagated by offsets, or by parting their roots.