About Saxifraga rivularis L.
Saxifraga rivularis L. is a small perennial herb that reaches a maximum height of just over 12 centimeters. It produces small, lobed leaves that grow both at the base of the plant and along its stem. Basal leaves measure between 5 and 20 millimeters in length, and their leaf stalks (petioles) are substantially longer than the leaf blade. The inflorescence grows from a hairy, erect peduncle, and bears both white-petaled flowers and reproductive bulbils.
Saxifraga rivularis is native to northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with a circumpolar distribution. It occurs across the Arctic and extends into alpine climates of mountainous temperate areas, including the Sierra Nevada in California. It is also found in the Highlands of Scotland, the region after which it is named, but it is very rare there. This species grows in moist, wet, rocky habitats, in substrates that are rich in nitrogen and organic material, such as bird rocks and mossy peat flats.
