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Saxifraga stellaris L.

Saxifraga stellaris L., Sp. PI. ed. 1(1753) 400; Hayek, Prodr. Fl. Penins. Balc. I (1925) 639; D. A. Webb, Fl. Eur. I (1964) 368 — Звездеста каменоломка

Fam:  Saxifragaceae Juss.
Genus:  Saxifraga L.
Species: Saxifraga stellaris L.
English Name: Starry saxifrage

Description:

Perennial. Thick or loose tussocks. Stems horizontal, 10 - 50 (90) cm long, rooting is simple or slightly branched, usually without remnants of leaves, rarely with them. Leaves 8 - 20 (40) mm long and (5) 8 - 12 (19) mm wide, successive; the lowest collected in a rosette, wedge back ovate to back shovel like, large sawtooth till diluted to wholesale serrated, narrowed at the base up to 7 mm long, naked stems, blunt tip without cartilage edge fiber or scattered bristly fiber to almost naked, succulent like, green; Stem leaves smaller, lance shovel like, wholesale serrated, almost  naked. Blossom stems 2 - 8 (14 - 20) cm tall, with simple or upper face branches scattered fibrous to almost naked. Inflorescences loose, narrow, multiblossom panicle or less 2 - 3 single blossoms; blossom branches erect made or poorly spread, scattered fibrous. Bracts 5 - 10 mm long and 2 - 4 mm wide, wedge-shaped to linear lance, on top serrated, naked. Pedicels 6 - 12 (20) mm long, 2 - 4 times longer than the boxes, short ciliates. Sepals 2 - 4 mm long and 1 - 2 mm wide, the base free, elongated ovoid to elongated lance, blunt, entire, naked, in the fetus rolled down to the blossom stem. Petals 3 - 5 (7) mm long and 1 - 2 (3) mm wide, lance to ovate narrow elliptical, narrower at the base in a short claw, white, at the bottom of the claw with 2 yellow spots, bare, equal to each other, longer than the calyx, rarely in some blossoms with 1 - 2 smaller and 3 (4) larger, with a long claw petals. Stamen stems fibrous, pink anthers. Box 5 - 6 (8) mm long and 1.5 to 3 (3.5) mm wide, narrowly ovoid. Pedicles erect or spread downturn. The seed 1.0 mm long, oblong ovoid, with longitudinal ribs, some or all of the dense fine verruca like, brown.

Volatility

subsp. stellaris. Dense tussock like plant with few rosettes. Bristly hairy leaves. Pedicels to 2 times longer than the cans. Petals 5 - 7 mm long. In Bulgaria not found.
subsp. alpigena Temesy, Phyton (Austria) VII ( 1957 ) 40. Feathery tussock like plant usually with numerous rosettes. Bristly hairy leaves absently to almost naked. Pedicels 3 - 4 times longer than the boxes. Petals 3 - 5 (7) mm long. West and Central Stara Planina (Balkan), Vitosha region (Vitosha) West Frontier Mountains (Osogovska mountain) Belasitza, Pirin, Rila, Western Rhodopes mountains

Flowering Time: Blooms VII-IX, fruitful VIII-X.

References: „Флора на НР България”, том IV, БАН, София, (1970)

Distribution in Bulgaria: Near mountain streams and rivers, wetlands and peat medows in highland area. Central and Western Balkan, Vitosha  area, Western Frontiers, Belasitza, Pirin, Rila and West Rodopi mountains, between 1800 and 2500 m altitude.