SAXIFRAGA Geum.
Kidney-leaved Saxifrage.
DECANDRIA Digynia.
Gen. Char. Cal. 5-cleft. P etals 5 . Caps, with 2
beaks, 1 cell, and many seeds.
Spec. Char. Leaves of a rounded kidney-shape, sharply
toothed. Stem naked, panicled. Capsule superior.
Syn. Saxifraga Geum. Linn. Sp, P I. 574 .
Sedum montanum rotundifolium minus album non
guttatum. Moris. Hist. v. 3. 478— no figure.
Sanicula montana minor, Clus. Pann. 4 4 ].
D is c o v e r e d by Mr. J. T. Mackay on a mountain near
Dingle in the county of Kerry, Ireland, in September 1804.
Roots brought from thence flowered the following June, and we
are obliged to that gentleman and to Dr. Scott for specimens.
The Saxifraga umlrosa, v. 10. t. 663, was long supposed a
doubtful native of Ireland, nor had any one suspected that
the S. Geum and hirsuta grew there too ; yet Mr, Mackay has
found these, and what may possibly prove another species.
We hope in due time to elucidate them all, but at present
must content ourselves with giving what is the real S. Geum of
Linnaeus, of which the above are conceived to be certain
synonyms.
This differs from S. umlrosa in having rounded, somewhat
kidney-shaped, hairy leaves, sharply toothed, by no means
elongated at the base into a flat footstalk, but standing each on a
longish, narrow, hairy footstalk. The fiowerstalk is panicled,
and clothed with red, glandular hairs. Petals pream-coloured,
not sprinkled with yellow and red spots, but merely marked
at the base with a purple line and yellow stain. The germen
is superior, and calyx reflexed.