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Saxifraga stolonifera

Common name:	Strawberry Saxifrage	Family:	Saxifragaceae
Author:	Meeburgh.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Saxifraga sarmentosa (L.f.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - W. China, Japan. Naturalized in C. and S. Europe[50].
Habitat:	Shady cliffs and mossy rocks at low altitudes[187]. Occasionally naturalized on walls in C. and S. Europe[50].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Creeping Saxifrage [P,B], Hu Erh Ts'Ao [E], Shih Ho Yeh [E], Yuki-No-Sita [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	stolonifer = producing stolons stolonifera = producing stolons
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Saxifrage family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Java

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.15m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves Stem.

Leaves - raw or cooked[105, 177]. Relished in Japan when parboiled or fried and used in salads[183].
Flowering stem - said to be tasty when salted[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial Antiphlogistic Depurative Febrifuge.

Antibacterial, antiphlogistic[174]. There are growth-promoting substances in the leaves[174].
The whole plant is depurative, febrifuge and suppurative[147, 218]. Its use promotes the drainage of pus[147]. A decoction is used in the treatment of boils and abscesses, poisonous snakebites, otitis media, acute attacks of convulsions and haematemesis[147].
The leaf juice is applied to aching ears, abscesses and inflammations[218].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Can be grown as a ground cover plant in a shady position[188]. Plants should be spaced about 45cm apart each way[208].

Cultivation details

Prefers a cool position in a moist humus-rich soil[1]. Prefers an acid soil[200]. Thrives on heavy soils in the milder areas of the country[208]. Usually thrives in a poor soil with a northerly aspect[1]. Grows well in light woodland[200] or in a shady position in a rock garden.
The plant is hardy to about -10° c[187]. The leaves and the flowers, however, are liable to be damaged by autumn frosts[200].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is sometimes grown as a house plant[200].
A polymorphic species[1], it is closely related to S. cortusifolia, differing in having runners[200].

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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Saxifraga sarmentosa (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Saxifragaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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