Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Saxifraga oppositifolia

This was the first time I had ever seen this species. Unfortunately, the only hint of what the flowers are like is the dead flower near the bottom edge. Photographed on a hike to Arethusa Cirque, Kananaskis - off Highway 40 and right next to the better known Ptarmigan Cirque - on July 30th. "Saxifraga oppositifolia, the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of edible plant that is very common all over the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky Mountains. It is a low-growing, densely or loosely matted plant growing to 3–5 cm high, with somewhat woody branches of creeping or trailing habit close to the surface. The leaves are small, rounded, scale-like, opposite in 4 rows, with ciliated margins. The flowers are solitary on short stalks, petals purple or lilac, much longer than the calyx lobes. It is one of the very first spring flowers, continuing to flower during the whole summer in localities where the snow melts later. The flowers grow to about 0.5 inches in diameter." From Wikipedia.