Burnet-saxifrage
Pimpinella saxifraga
Its Latin species name 'saxifraga' translates to 'rock-breaker,' referring to its deep roots that can penetrate hard, stony ground.
- Scientific name
- Pimpinella saxifraga
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Apiales › Apiaceae › Pimpinella
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry grasslands, meadows, pastures, and chalky cliffs.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing nutrients from calcareous soils).
- Range
- Europe, Temperate Asia, North America
- Size
- 30 to 100 cm tall
- Lifespan
- 3 to 10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, overgrazing, or scrub encroachment.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is safe to approach and touch. However, ensure correct identification before any foraging, as it belongs to the Apiaceae family, which contains highly toxic lookalikes like Poison Hemlock.
Pimpinella saxifraga , known as burnet-saxifrage , solidstem burnet saxifrage , lesser burnet , or salad burnet is a plant of the family Umbelliferae a native of the British Isles and temperate Europe and Western Asia. It is neither a Burnet, which its leaves resemble, nor a Saxifrage although it has a similar herbal effect as a diuretic.
Photo: Udo Schmidt, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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