The leaf arrangement is one way to distinguish chrysosplenium alternifolium from the more widespread chrysosplenium-oppositifolium, which occupies similar habitats. It is also a slightly taller plant, with yellower bracts, darker stamens and a notch between the leaf teeth.
Common name:
Alternate-leaved golden-saxifrage
Family:
Scientific name:
Chrysosplenium alternifolium
Main flower color:
Range:
Wales, south/central Scotland and most of England; least common in the southeast
Height:
Up to 15 cm
Habitat:
Streambanks, damp woodland and boggy places in mountains; often on limestone soils
Flowers:
In forked clusters; four greenish-yellow sepals subtended by leaf-like bracts, yellowish towards the base, otherwise green. Eight stamens, light yellow, maturing to dark brown
Leaves:
Alternate, reniform, with a sparse covering of bristly hairs. Margins are round-toothed, with a perpendicular notch between each tooth. Up to 2 cm long, attached by stalks of similar length. Usually one stem leaf; the remainder are basal
Season:
March to May
Rarity:
★★★★★
