Alpine Mountainsorrel
Oxyria digyna
- Native to:
- Afghanistan, Albania, Aleutian Is., Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Finland, Føroyar, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Korea, Kuril Is., Labrador, Lebanon-Syria, Nepal, North Caucasus, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan
Michael Haferkamp, aka Mikesegeln (en.wikipedia.org) at en.wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Polygonaceae
- Genus:
- Oxyria
- Species:
- Oxyria digyna
- USDA Symbol:
- OXDI3
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 30 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Low
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug
- Bloom Colors:
- green, red
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica), American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Chalceria rubida, Copper (Lycaena cuprea)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- red
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rocky, nutrient-poor, well-drained soil
- pH:
- 5.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- often found in alpine and arctic regions
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–42 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require light for germination. Cold stratification improves germination rates significantly.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Stratification is not necessary. Seed must be surface sown. Germination is greater in light (surface sown) than dark (covered with mulch).
Establishment: O. digynia is a circumboreal species that occurs in the subalpine and alpine in moist sharply drained sites; Alaska through the Cascades to California, east to Labrador, New Hampshire, and south through the Rockies to New Mexico, also in Eurasia.
Source: npn.rngr.net
ORGHPS Germination Guide: Sow @ 20C. Germinates within 3 months.