Swamp Saxifrage, Eastern swamp saxifrage
Saxifraga pensylvanica

Family: Saxifragaceae

What it is like

Saxifraga pensylvanica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 0.5

Where it is found

Wet meadows, swamps, boggy thickets, prairies and seeping banks.

Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario, Minnesota, Virginia, Iowa and Missouri.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Young leaves - raw or cooked. Harvested as they are unrolling, they are used in salads or eaten as a potherb.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A poultice of the root has been used to treat sore, swollen muscles. An infusion of the roots and leaves has been used as a blood purifier. An infusion of the roots has been used to treat weak kidneys and dropsy.

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.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

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

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Bog Garden;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 0-0

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Micranthes pensylvanica.