Saxifraga rosacea, Irish saxifrage, or rosy saxifrage, is a herbaceous plant in the family Saxifragaceae. The epithet rosacea does not refer to its flowers which are white,[1] but to its radical sterile shoots which are often rosy.[2] Owing to this misleading epithet, the rosy-flowered Saxifraga × arendsii is sometimes misidentified as Saxifraga rosacea.
It spreads by stolons, forming a compact cushion of short leafy sterile shoots. Flowering stems may be up to 25 cm tall, bearing 4 to 5 white flowers with petals 6-10mm long.[3][4]
It is found in Northwestern and Central Europe.[3][5][6] It was believed to have become extinct in the UK in 1962, but cuttings from original specimens have allowed for its reintroduction in 2024.[7] It is usually found by mountain streams, but also grows on cliffs and scree slopes.[3]
Subspecies
Saxifraga rosacea subsp. rosacea: southern and central Germany, eastern France, Ireland, Iceland, and Faroe Islands; extinct in Great Britain.[6]
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