Saxifraga stolonifera variegata is a veriegated variety of Saxifraga stolonifera Curtis. Also known as 'Strawberry Begonia', it features white to pale pink leaf margins. Mature plants will reach up to 20 cm tall with trailing stems reaching up to 60 cm long.
Saxifraga stolonifera is commonly called strawberry begonia or strawberry geranium as plants spread by strawberry-like runners and have begonia/geranium-like leaves. It is, however, neither a begonia nor a geranium. It is an evergreen, stoloniferous, mat-forming perennial of the saxifrage family that is native to rocky cliff areas in China and Japan. It is classified in the irregulars (diptera) section of the genus. If grown in the garden, it should be sited in a shady area. Plants form rosettes of long-stalked leaves that will typically rise to 20 cm tall and spread somewhat rapidly by thin, thread-like stolons to 60 cm wide. Rounded, dark green leaves (to 10 cm wide) have silver veining on top and pink-red undersides. From late spring to early summer, flower stems rise well-above the foliage to 35 cm tall bearing loose, airy panicles of asymmetrical white flowers (2,5 cm wide), each flower having two large lower petals and 3-4 smaller upper petals.
Another common name for this plant is mother of thousands in reference to the plantlets that form at the stolon tips.
Genus name comes from the Latin words saxum meaning rock and frangere meaning to break in reference to habit of some Saxifrage plants to take up residence in the fissures of rocks resulting over time in a further eroding or crumbling (breaking away) of the rock.
Specific epithet means having stolons.
Saxifraga stolonifera variegata aka 'Strawberry Begonia'
Saxifraga stolonifera variegata comes in a 6 cm pot and is ca. 10 cm tall
