Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) on 4-15-12, #86-73.
Strawberry Begonia, Strawberry Geranium,
Creeping Saxifrage, Creeping Rockfoil,
Aaron’s Beard, Roving Sailor, Etc.
Saxifraga stolonifera
saks-if-FRAH-uh sto-lo-NIF-er-uh
Synonyms of Saxifraga stolonifera (30) (Updated on 12-26-23 from Plants of the World Online): Adenogyna sarmentosa (L.) Raf. (1836), Aphomonix hederacea Raf. (1837), Diptera cuscutiformis (Lodd.) Heynh. (1846), Diptera sarmentosa (L.) Borkh. (1794), Ligularia sarmentosa (L.) Duval (1809), Robertsonia sarmentosa (L.) Link (1831), Rupifraga cuscutiformis (Lodd.) Raf. (1838), Rupifraga sarmentosa (L.) Raf. (1837), Saxifraga chaffanjonii H.Lév. (1911), Saxifraga chinensis Lour. (1790), Saxifraga cuscutiformis G.Lodd. (1818), Saxifraga dumetorum Balf.f. (1916), Saxifraga iochanensis H.Lév. (1916), Saxifraga ligulata Murray (1781), Saxifraga sarmentosa L. (1780), Saxifraga sarmentosa var. immaculata Diels (1901), Saxifraga sarmentosa var. tricolor-superba Van Geert (1878), Saxifraga stolonifera f. aptera (Makino) H.Hara (1939), Saxifraga stolonifera var. immaculata (Diels) Hand.-Mazz. (1931), Saxifraga stolonifera f. leuconeura (Makino) H.Hara (1939), Saxifraga stolonifera f. viridifolia (Makino) H.Hara (1939), Saxifraga veitchiana Balf.f. (1916), Sekika cyclaminea Medik. (1791)(nom. superfl.), Sekika sarmentosa (L.) Moench (1802), Sekika stolonifera (Curtis) H.Hara (1939)
Saxifraga stolonifera Curtis is the accepted name for the Strawberry Begonia. It was named and described as such by William Curtis in Philosophical Transactions in 1774.
The genus, Saxifraga Tourn. ex L., was described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753. He gave credit to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort for first naming the genus.
As of 12-26-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 475 species in the Saxifraga genus. It is a member of the plant family Saxifragaceae with 40 accepted genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Saxifraga stolonifera on 6-11-12, #99-50.
My good friend and fellow plant collector, Walley Morse of Greenville, Mississippi gave me this Strawberry Begonia in the spring of 2012. I put it in the bed behind the den under one of the Crape Myrtle trees.
Where this plant is hardy, it makes a nice evergreen groundcover spreading by runners like a strawberry. They should be planted in part to full shade. This is another plant that some call Mother of Thousands.
Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) on 5-4-13, #148-21.
After I sold the mansion in Leland, Mississippi, dad asked me to move back to the family farm in mid-Missouri. So, in February 2013, MANY plants and I made the move, including the Strawberry Begonia. I did have to give up around 200 pots…
Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) flowering on 6-1-13, #151-65.
The Saxifraga stolonifera produces white flowers on stems up to 18” tall in the late spring through early summer. The flowers are really interesting if you look up close with three small upper petals and two larger lower petals. Some photos online show pinkish upset petals with maroon spots. I guess I didn’t look that close or I would have taken my own close-ups…
Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) on 10-7-13, #193-74.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Saxifragaceae.
Origin: Native to parts of China, Japan, and Korea.
Zones: USDA Zones (6b) 7a-10b (0 to 35° F).
Size: 6-8” tall or more.
Light: Light to full shade.
Soil: Well-drained soil a little on the moist side.
Water: Needs regular watering.
The Saxifraga stolonifera is not 100% winter hardy in our zone here in mid-Missouri so I was bringing it inside for the winter and keeping it in the basement where it did just fine.
<<<<2014>>>>
Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) on 6-1-14, #228-72.
The leaves rise from the rosette-forming plant on long stems up to 8” in length. The leaves, resembling a strawberry or some species of Begonias, are a nice dark green with silver veins. The undersides of the leaves are maroon. More light will enhance the leaf color but too much sun will cause their leaves to burn.
The Strawberry Begonia, or whatever you choose to call them, make fairly good houseplants. Information online says to avoid getting water on their leaves as with other “hairy-leaved” plants to reduce the risk of fungal disorders. Hmmm… Well, I guess their leaves do have tiny hairs, although not near as hairy as some such as the Tradescantia sillamontana. That’s what I think of when you say hairy leaves.
Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia) on 7-12-14, #231-78.
These plants are very easy to propagate from the plantlets growing on the runners. Just remove them and put them in their own pots or here and there in your flower beds. Just like strawberries or Spider Plants. You can leave the runner on the plant and just stick them in the pot they are dangling from then remove the runner once its own roots develop.
They spread fairly rapidly, so if you grow them in pots, they may need a larger one every spring.
Information online also suggests they don’t like heat and high humidity. Well, that’s strange because they did very well in Mississippi which I would say is hot and humid.
In the cooler areas of their preferred zones, you may want to put a little mulch around them. That is also a good idea just about anywhere as a good mulch of leaves or other material will help keep their soil cool(er) and moist.
I need to find another Strawberry Begonia because I gave this one up in the late summer of 2014…
I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. I would like to hear from you if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.
FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
DAVE’S GARDEN
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
THE SPRUCE
PFAF (PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
FINE GARDENING
PLANTS RESCUE
The Belmont Rooster 
my strawberry begonia soil is real wet, it want dry out, should i repot it . I don’t want it to die, so please tell me what to do
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Hello Edna! Great to hear from you. Sorry to hear your Strawberry Begonia is having a soil moisture problem. It has been a while since I have had one, so I don’t really remember what kind of a root system they have. Since I haven’t seen your plant or know how large it is… Anyway, no plant needs to have wet soil where there are no roots to absorb the moisture, so it sounds to me like your pot may be to large. I would get a shallower pot, one not much bigger than your root system, and give it good fresh potting soil (such as Miracle Grow, Schultz, etc.). The Strawberry Begonia seems to like a close family, so once it has stuffed the new pot you can put them in a bigger pot, but not to much bigger than the old one. You can thin somewhat, but do not get soil above these plants crown. As you can see in the photos on this page, my strawberry Begonia is in a “hanging basket” type of pot. Fairly shallow but big enough around. The diameter of your pot depends on the size of your plant (s) and the roots. The depth of your pot depends on the depth (length) of the roots. To much wet soil can cause the roots to rot. I hope this helps! Take care and thanks for visiting! I am here if you need more help. You can always send photos at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.
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