SAXIFRA'GA OPPOSITIFOLIA. 
OPPOSITE-LEAVED SAXIFRAGE. 
Class. 
DECANDRIA. 
Order. 
DIGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
SAXIFRAGES. 
Native of 
Height 
Flowers in 
Duration 
Inhabits 
Britain. 
2 inches. 
Mar. April. 
Perennial. 
1 Mountains. 
No. 127. 
It has been noticed, by a celebrated author, that 
this appellation was given by some old writers to 
several rock plants, which, by insinuating their roots 
into the crevices of stones, separate or break them 
to pieces. This is expressed by the name itself, 
derived from saxum, a stone ; and frango to break ; 
and the plants in question, were consequently sup- 
posed likely to be useful in breaking down the cal- 
culus in the human bladder. We meet with few 
more absurd hypotheses, in the darkest ages of bo- 
tanical science. Tournefort and Linneus have re- 
tained this name for a beautiful genus of herbaceous, 
principally mountain, plants, to some of which it had 
been long ago applied; whilst others had been refer- 
red to sedum. They often occupy the fissures of 
rocks ; so far answering to the original idea of the 
name before us. Oppositifolia, compounded from 
the Latin, opposite-leaved. 
This species of Saxifrage, in blossom, is ex- 
tremely attractive, the flowers being strikingly large 
and showy, in proportion to the plant itself, which 
is of the humblest growth. As an alpine plant, 
it may occupy some sheltered and rather shady 
