Saxifraga stolonifera variegata ('Strawberry Begonia')

Origins and name of Saxifraga stolonifera variegata

Saxifraga stolonifera is native across parts of East Asia, from the eastern Himalaya through China to Korea, Japan and Taiwan. It grows in cool shaded places such as damp rock faces, woodland edges and mossy ground.

The familiar name 'Strawberry Begonia' comes from the long runners carrying small daughter plants, much like the runners produced by strawberries.

Caring for Saxifraga stolonifera variegata

• Light: Give it bright indirect light or mild morning sun. Filter strong midday sun through glass.
• Water: While rosettes and runners are growing, keep the shallow roots gently moist. Add water when the surface starts to dry and allow the excess to drain away.
• Potting mix: A humus-rich, airy compost with good drainage suits this plant.
• Temperature: Cool to average room temperatures work well. Keep it away from strong heater air.
• Humidity and airflow: Normal to moderately humid air is suitable. Gentle airflow helps the hairy foliage dry after splashes.
• Feeding: While leaves, runners and daughter plants are developing, give a light feed roughly every four weeks.
• Runners and propagation: Set a daughter plant onto moist compost while it remains attached to the parent. Cut the runner after roots form. Established clumps can also be divided.
• Repotting: Repot when roots crowd the pot or water begins passing through much faster than before.

Troubleshooting Saxifraga stolonifera variegata

• The rosettes become limp with crisp edges: The shallow roots have dried too far. Soak the compost thoroughly and check it sooner before the next watering.
• Cream or pink margins develop bleached patches: Sun through the window has scorched the pale areas. Shift the plant into bright, filtered light.
• Fine pale speckles and delicate webbing appear: Red spider mites can build up in warm, dry air. Separate the plant, raise local humidity and repeat a spider-mite treatment at the intervals on its label.
• New leaves distort and sticky insects gather on fresh growth: Aphids may be feeding on tender leaves or flower stems. Remove visible colonies where practical. If treatment is needed, use an aphid product and follow its label.
• Leaf edges show rounded bites or the whole plant weakens: Vine weevil may be involved. Check the roots and compost for cream-coloured larvae. If you find them, choose a treatment for vine weevil and follow the product directions; biological options are also available.

Keep Saxifraga stolonifera variegata away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Why is it called Saxifraga stolonifera?

Saxifraga combines Latin saxum, rock, and frangere, to break. Stolonifera means stolon-bearing, describing the runners that produce daughter rosettes.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Saxifraga in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 398; Joseph Pitton de Tournefort had proposed the name.

William Curtis first described Saxifraga stolonifera in 1774 in Philosophical Transactions, volume 64, issue 1, page 308.