This excellent group of rock garden plants is known as the section Ligulatae, or more commonly as the silver or encrusted saxifrages, in recognition of the deposits of lime that line the leaves. They all have rosettes, large or small depending on the variety, and have relatively large panicles of flowers, usually white. They come from rocky places in the mountains, some on limestone and some on acid rocks.

Saxifraga hostii is a handsome silver saxifrage with rosettes of long, narrow, recurved leaves, and tall stems carrying masses of small creamy white flowers, usually spotted red. It is easy and rewarding, but surprisingly rarely grown.