Brook saxifrage, Heartleaf saxifrage
Saxifraga nelsoniana

Family: Saxifragaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are 22-33 cm tall. The leaves are in a ring at the base. The leaf stalk is 4-11 cm long. The leaves are kidney shaped or heart shaped and 2-6 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. They have large pointed teeth along the edge. There are hairs underneath the leaf. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface and reddish-brown underneath. There is a single flowering stem 10-25 cm tall. The flowers are small and have 5 sepals and 5 petals. They are white and in clusters often forming a ball shaped head.

Fresh plants are rich in Vitamin C and provitamin A.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in the moist tundra in Alaska. In northern China it grows between 1,700-2,300 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Alaska, Asia, China, Korea, Mongolia, North America, Russia, Siberia, USA

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten raw with oil. The leaves can be preserved in oil for later use. They leaves are eaten with meat. The flowers are also used to flavour seal oil.

The leaves are commonly used in Tundra regions.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Aml'yukirak, Siiqnaq, Siknak

Synonyms

Micranthes nelsoniana (D. Don) Small; Saxifraga punctata subsp. nelsoniana (D. Don) Hulten; Saxifraga punctata var. nelsoniana (D. Don) Engl.;