About
Saxifraga 'Regina' (x _prossenii_) is a saxifrage cultivar in the family Saxifragaceae that forms a low, ground-hugging rosette and sends up naked flower stalks. The genus name literally means 'stone-breaker', reflecting its traditional association with rocky sites. Flowers appear from April to July and are of the small, five-petalled type typical of saxifrages. Leaves tend to lie close to the ground and may show the incised margins common to the group.
About the genus
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 473 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin saxum + frangere. It is usually thought to indicate a medicinal use for treatment of urinary calculi, rather than breaking rocks apart.
Wikipedia contributors, "Saxifraga", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Saxifraga
In the garden
Saxifraga 'Regina' (x _prossenii_) belongs to the large Saxifraga genus within the Saxifragaceae and sits among many species adapted to cool, often rocky habitats across the holarctic region. The cultivar keeps the genus habit: a basal or near-ground rosette of leaves with slender, leafless stalks that carry the small, five-petalled flowers. The name saxifraga — literally 'stone-breaker' — hints at its historical association with stones and crevices rather than any literal action on rock. Flowers appear from April to July, rising above the leaf rosette on those naked stems, making the flowering period the main seasonal interest. Use the plant where its low, compact form is complimented by close planting: in rockeries, alpine troughs, crevices between paving stones or at the front of a border. Its tidy leaf rosette and elevated flower stalks give textural contrast to gravel and stone settings. Expect the structure of a basal leaf-rosette with short-lived vertical florets to define the plant through spring and early summer; the slim flower stalks and the ground-hugging leaves are the features you will return to each season.
More in the Saxifraga genus
- Saxifraga pennsylvanicaPennsylvania saxifrage
- Saxifraga × umbrosa of gardenstrue London pride
- Saxifraga 'Allendale Divine' (7)
- Saxifraga 'Portae' (x _fritschiana_) (8)
- Saxifraga geum 'Dentata'Saxifrage