Saxifraga burseriana L. Burser Saxifrage, DE: Bursers Steinbrech Slo.: Burserjev kamnokreč Dat.: May 11. 2015 Lat.: 46.43612 Long.: 13.63877 Code: Bot_874/2015_DSC6352 Habitat: Cracks in calcareous rocks, mainly on south oriented mostly steep or vertical boulder faces; full sun, not too dry places; exposed to direct rain, elevation 1.860 m (6.100 feet), average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 1 - 2 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil in rock crevices. Place: Mt. Mangart region, Mangart flats, alpine road side from the last tunnel to parking place below final road loop, on several places, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC Comment: Saxifraga burseriana is an early flowering East Alpine endemic plant. It has the largest flowers of all members of genus Saxifraga and no doubt belongs to the nicest alpine flowers. At lower elevations of its distribution often the peak blooming is already over end of May. Mt. Mangart alpine tool road is still closed at that time. It is still under snow on several switchbacks, ravine crossings and bends. So, one has to walk. How long depends on the season. This year (very little snow) about an hour sufficed to reach richly blooming plants in abundance. Growing in many cushions scattered on rocks and boulders. Ref.: (1) Rothmaler 3, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, 11. Aufl., Elsevier, Spectrum (2007), p 282. (2) M.A.Fischer, W.Adler, K.Oswald, Exkursionsflora Österreich Liechtenstein, Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 393. (3) A.Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 240. (4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt
