About Sanicula saxatilis Greene
Sanicula saxatilis is a perennial herb that grows a thick stem 10 to 25 centimeters tall from a spherical tuber. Its leaves are compound, with each leaf split into three leaflets that are deeply cut into serrated lobes. The foliage ranges in color from green to purple, and sometimes has a waxy texture. The inflorescence consists of one or more heads containing both bisexual and male-only flowers, with tiny, curving petals that may be pale salmon pink, yellowish, or straw-colored. The fruits are a few millimeters wide, covered in bumps, and sometimes have bristles. This species is endemic to the eastern San Francisco Bay Area of California. It is only known from Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton, both located in the Diablo Range. Its habitat consists primarily of rocky chaparral slopes and talus. While the species is rare, most of its known populations grow in remote mountainous areas that are relatively safe from disturbance.
