Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium
oppositifolium) grows as a gold-speckled pale green mat on the banks of
small streams in shady places on rocks and in woods, throughout Great Britain.
It varies in size from comparatively large specimens in lush, damp surroundings
to small, dense tufts in more open, drier areas.
Plants grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) high, with flowering
stems standing out from a low, sprawling mass of leafy shoots that take root at
intervals. The rounded leaves, which are usually bluntly toothed, thin and
crisp, grow as opposite pairs (hence the plant’s name). The stalks are about the
same length at the blades.
Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage flowers from April to July.
The flowers have four sepals but no petals. A raised, lobed disc surrounds the
styles. The fruit opens by splitting along the inner edge.
The leaves were formerly eaten as a vegetable. It was once thought
that their shape resembled that of the human spleen (hence the “splenium” part
of the Latin name) and – to the medieval mind – that meant that they were
designed by God to provide cures for diseases of that organ (this is referred
to as the “doctrine of signatures”). Infusions of the plant were therefore
drunk, as well as the leaves being eaten.
There is a related plant – alternate-leaved golden saxifrage
(Chrysosplenium alternifolium) that has kidney-shaped leaves growing
alternately. The stalks and flower stems are longer, and it does not have creeping
stems so does not form mats. It is, however, more robust than opposite-leaved
golden saxifrage and grows further inside crevices in mountainous regions.
© John Welford
