The Rhenish Saxifrage: A Glacial Relict to Be Preserved in the Oesling

Section(s): Plant Population Biology

Responsible staff: Tania Walisch

Research strategy: Understanding and Preserving Nature

The Rhenish saxifrage (Saxifraga rosacea subsp. sponhemica) is a rock‑dwelling plant, a very rare glacial relict threatened in Luxembourg, where half of its populations have already disappeared. It is recognised as a conservation priority at the European level.

Because of their small size and isolation, its populations risk losing genetic diversity and becoming extinct. To safeguard this species, new populations are being introduced into suitable rocky habitats in the Oesling. Researchers at the MNHNL are testing different factors that may influence the success of these introductions, in order to better understand how to ensure the long‑term establishment of this emblematic species. They are also monitoring the evolution of natural populations through genetic analyses, including samples collected more than 20 years ago.

Faced with climate change, particularly increasingly frequent droughts, researchers are studying the resistance of the Rhenish saxifrage to water shortage. Seeds collected across its entire distribution range are cultivated in the museum garden, and the plants are subjected to a drought experiment to better understand their survival strategies and to optimise their protection in their natural habitat.

Partners :

Parc naturel de l’Our, parc naturel de la Sûre

Funding :The project is co‑funded by the Environmental Fund.

Recent publications :

Walisch, T. J., Eusebi, B., Klein, A., Krippel, Y., Colling, G., & Matthies, D. (2024). Factors influencing the creation of new populations of a rare rock plant [Poster abstract]. 35th Conference of the Plant

Population Biology Section of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (GfÖ), PopBio 2024, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Bachelor thesis: Jade Stucky (2024) Variation génétique passée et actuelle des populations de Saxifraga rosacea subsp. sponhemica, une plante rare des habitats rocheux. Rapport de stage en vue d’obtenir le Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie en Génie Biologique. Parcours Sciences de l’environnement et écotechnologies, Université de Lorraine France.