Definition

Noun: * A perennial, evergreen plant (Saxifraga stolonifera, syn. S. sarmentosa) native to eastern Asia. It is characterized by rounded, hairy leaves with silvery veins and reddish undersides, and produces small, delicate white flowers on tall stalks. It is noted for its ability to spread rapidly by sending out numerous slender, creeping stems (stolons) that take root and form new plantlets, similar to strawberry plants.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The strawberry geranium is thriving in the shaded corner of the garden.
  • I propagated my strawberry geranium by pinning one of its runners into a pot of soil.
  • Its common name, strawberry geranium, comes from its strawberry-like stolons, though it is not related to true geraniums.

Advanced Usage

• As a ground cover: Due to its spreading habit, it is often used as a decorative ground cover in shady areas.
  • We used strawberry geranium as a living mulch under the trees.
• In botanical terminology: The specific epithet "" directly references its defining characteristic of bearing stolons.
  • The species name stolonifera perfectly describes the strawberry geranium's growth habit.

Variants and Related Words

• Mother of thousands: A common alternative name for the same plant, referring to its prolific reproduction via stolons.
• Creeping saxifrage: Another name that highlights its growth habit and botanical genus.
• Strawberry begonia: A frequent misnomer; the plant resembles a begonia in leaf shape and habit but is not botanically related.
• Stolon: (noun) A horizontal stem that grows along the ground surface and can form new plants at its nodes, key to this plant's identification.

Synonyms

• Aaron's beard
• Roving sailor
• Saxifraga stolonifera (scientific name)

Notes on Meaning

• It is important to note that "strawberry geranium" is not a true geranium (genus or ). The name is derived from the visual resemblance of its leaves to those of some geraniums and its strawberry-like runners. It is correctly a species of saxifrage.

Noun

1. eastern Asiatic saxifrage with racemes of small red-and-white flowers; spreads by numerous creeping stolons