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 x gaudinii 'Canis-dalmatica' is sometimes described as a form of Saxifraga callosa, but it is generally accepted to be a hybrid of S. cotyledon and S. paniculata (i.e. Saxifraga x gaudinii). It has rosettes of narrow leathery leaves, heavily lime-encrusted, and long arching stems with many white flowers strongly marked with bright red spots. (Have you ever seen a dalmatian dog with red spots? Nor have I.)