Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of numerous herbs of the genus Saxifraga, having small, variously colored flowers and leaves that often form a basal rosette.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A plant of the genus Saxifraga. Scarcely any of the species have economic properties, but many are beautiful in foliage and flower. They are commonly rock-plants with tufted leaves and panicles of white, yellow, or red flowers. They are predominantly alpine, and of alpine plants they are the most easy to cultivate. One group, as S. hypnoides, has mossy foliage, forming a carpet, in spring dotted with white flowers. Others, as S. Aizoon, have the foliage silvery, in rosettes. Others, as S. umbrosa, the London-pride or none-so-pretty, and S. oppositifolia, the purple saxifrage, afford brilliant colored flowers. A leathery-leafed group is represented by the Siberian S. crassifolia, well known in cultivation. A common house-plant is S. sarmentosa, the beefsteak- or strawberry-geranium (see
geranium ,) also called sailor-plant, creeping-sailor, and Chinese saxifrage. S. Virginiensis is a common spring flower in eastern North America. - n. See meadow-saxifrage.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Any plant of the genus Saxifraga, mostly perennial herbs growing in crevices of rocks in mountainous regions.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any of various plants of the genus Saxifraga
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin (herba) saxifraga, maidenhair fern, feminine of Latin saxifragus, rock-breaking (from its being found growing in rock crevices) : saxum, rock; see sek- in Indo-European roots + frangere, frag-, to break; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The ice-plant, which is also called a saxifrage, may now be seen in many a garden to which it has been brought from the Kerry mountains, and it is known as”
“This deceitful appearance is caused by a small plant resembling saxifrage, which is abundant, growing in large patches on a species of crumbling moss.”
“I give you this bouquetof saxifrage sneezewortspurge ragged robinasphodel lords-and-ladies.'”
“In the Arctic, extremely steep environmental gradients are frequent on a microtopographical scale and ecotypic differentiation has been demonstrated over such short distances for alpine timothy (Phleum alpinum [16]), Carex aquatilis [17], mountain avens [18], and purple saxifrage [19], all widely distributed plant species in the Arctic.”
Genetic responses of arctic species to changes in climate and ultraviolet-B radiation levels
“High on the cliffs, particularly on north-facing slopes, there are a number of alpine plants, including purple saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia, tufted saxifrage Saxifraga caespitosa, the fern Polystichum lonchitis and the three-leaved rush Juncus trifidus.”
“Among these are Alaska Nagoon berry Rubus articus stellatus (R), fragile sedge Carex membranacea, wedge-leaved primrose Primula cuneifolia saxifragifolia (R), and Wright's golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium wrightii.”
“Ramonda myconi, endemic to the Pyrénées, is found in this habitat and others species such as the Pyrenean saxifrage Saxifraga longifolia, Antirrhinum sempervirens and Pinguicula longifolia occur in the same habitat.”
“I'm digging dozens of fist-sized holes, squeezing thyme and saxifrage into cracks.”
“First, a little grass slope, covered with the prettiest flowers, rockrose and saxifrage, and thyme and basil, and all sorts of sweet herbs.”
“Partly to avoid more noise, and partly out of compassion, Bradamant dropped her bunch of saxifrage and caught the warm little body up in her hands.”
Asimov's Science Fiction
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