Saxifraga longifolia

[Michael J Campbell]

So far as I'm aware, TW is a longifolia hybrid, but a sterile one

 Lesley,  as usual you are correct .

[David Sellars]

Lesley:

We have also found that we get hybrids with garden collected seed of Saxifraga longifolia. Funny thing though is that hybrids also occur in the wild.  Here is a picture of a longifolia hybrid in Cirque de Troumouse, probably a hybrid with Saxifraga paniculata which was also common on the limestone blocks.

When the plants are just coming into flower at 2200 m in the Pyrenees we found Saxifraga longifolia was setting seed in the limestone canyons at lower elevations, around 700 m.  We collected seed by the roadside south of Benasque and I put some in the Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia seed exchange.

[Tony Willis]

David

I also found numerous hybrids on a cliff near Casteljon de Sos which is not far from Benasque. There was also true S. longifolia growing with it. I have both plants from cuttings growing in a frame but as yet they have not flowered. As I understand it S. longifolia never makes offsets so it is fairly easy to distinguish the different plants. I cannot get out to take pictures as the plants are frozen in the frame at the moment.

[Lesley Cox]

So any seed I might get from the exchanges, be it from garden or wild seed, could produce hybrids? That's a pain as I'd really like the genuine thing. I wonder what the (putative) TW seed is from then, probably an unknown hybrid or rather, a hybrid of unknown origin and parentage.

[David Sellars]

Lesley:

About 5% of the Saxifraga longifolia garden seed I have planted has resulted in plants with multi rosettes but the wild seed has all produced single rosettes.  The leaves are also more striking with the plants from wild seed. I did not notice any other saxes in the canyon where I collected the wild seed in 2007 (and 2009) so maybe that is why the plants all came true.

[gote]

Beautiful flower and photo, Franz.

Lesley, don't forget the pic, btw, how hardy are these plants?

I think they are very frost hardy. I had one for some years until it eventually flowered (72cm).
(Seed source Sündermann in Lindau)
We usually get at keast one night below -20°C
Unfortunately I was unable to collect the seeds.
Some time I will start it again.
Cheers
Göte 

[Lesley Cox]

Perhaps if I try it again from the exchanges, I'd better look in the collected seeds section, or I may be able to find a commercial source. While I love the tinier silver and Porophyllum saxifrages and in general smaller is better for me, for some reason the thought of those almost metre long stems is a great attraction. Of course I'll be in my 80s probably by the time they flower.

[iann]

My plant in the trough has now emerged from the snow.  It had a nice plug of ice in the rosette for a while before it snowed.  Temperatures nearby reached -17.6C although only about -15C here.  The large plant was completely buried in snow so might have stayed warmer, while the one in the wall was exposed.  Both look pristine so I guess they could go a bit colder.

[iann]

This year

[Lesley Cox]

Almost as exciting as an Argyroxiphium sandwichense!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A gorgeous sight Iann !!

[David Shaw]

Just found this thread. A few years ago we collected seed in the Pyrenees which germinated pretty well. Some came as single rosetteswhilst others as multiples. I am told that the multiples are probably x paniculata. None have flowered yet but one day ......

[Lori S.]

What promise, Iann!  What is the purple-flowered plant blooming behind it?  It looks quite extraordinary too.

[iann]

The one at the back is probably S. sempervivum.  See here.

[iann]

I think this is going to be good