Saxifraga pensylvanica - Swamp Saxifrage

Family:	Saxifragaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.45
Width:	0.5
Synonyms:	Micranthes pensylvanica.
Range:	Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario, Minnesota, Virginia, Iowa and Missouri.

Saxifraga pensylvanica (Swamp Saxifrage) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.45m and a width of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 0.
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

Swamp Saxifrage will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Swamp Saxifrage prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Swamp Saxifrage can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Wet meadows, swamps, boggy thickets, prairies and seeping banks[43].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Prefers an open soil[1]. Does well in a shady position in a wild garden[1]. Plants grow best in cool woodland conditions[233].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 1/5
Young leaves - raw or cooked[105, 177, 257]. Harvested as they are unrolling, they are used in salads or eaten as a potherb[183].

• Leaves -

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
A poultice of the root has been used to treat sore, swollen muscles[257]. An infusion of the roots and leaves has been used as a blood purifier[257]. An infusion of the roots has been used to treat weak kidneys and dropsy[257].

• Blood purifier - Purifies the blood.
• Kidney - Used in the treatment of kidney diseases
• Poultice - A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame in the spring. Surface sow, or only just cover the seed, and make sure that the compost does not dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Gray's Manual of Botany.
Fernald. M. L.
Author: Fernald. M. L.
Rating:
Publisher : A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
Date of Publication : 1950

An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada
Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Author: Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
Date of Publication : 1970

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