Heuchera elegans |
Heuchera micrantha |
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urn-flower alum-root |
alum root, crevice alum-root, small-flower alumroot |
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Habit | Herbs subcaulescent; caudex branched. | Herbs caulescent; caudex branched. | ||||||||||||||||
Flowering stems | 10–40 cm, sparsely medium stipitate-glandular. |
6–57 cm, short to long stipitate-glandular or glabrous, viscid. |
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Leaves | petiole long stipitate-glandular; blade reniform or orbiculate, shallowly 5-lobed, 1.5–3.5 cm, base cordate or truncate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces short or long stipitate-glandular. |
petiole glabrous or sparsely to densely short to long stipitate-glandular; blade orbiculate to polygonal, shallowly to deeply 5–7(–9)-lobed, 2.5–10 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex rounded or obtuse, surfaces glabrous or short to long stipitate-glandular, viscid. |
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Inflorescences | diffuse. |
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Flowers | hypanthium strongly bilaterally symmetric, free 3–3.5 mm on adaxial side, pink to purplish, narrowly cylindric or cylindric-urceolate, 4–7 mm, short stipitate-glandular proximally, densely long stipitate-glandular distally; sepals spreading, green-tipped, unequal, 2 mm on adaxial side of hypanthium, apex obtuse or rounded; petals spreading, white, broadly oblanceolate, (clawed), unlobed, 3–4 mm (longer than sepals), margins entire; stamens included 0.5 mm to exserted 0.5 mm; styles included to 2 mm, 1.5–2 mm, 0.1+ mm diam. |
hypanthium radially symmetric, free to 1.5 mm, greenish white, often tinged with red, obconic to hemispheric, broadly turbinate, or campanulate, 1–4.9 mm, long stipitate-glandular, sometimes short stipitate-glandular proximally; sepals spreading to nearly erect, green- or red-tipped, equal, 0.5–1.8 mm, apex rounded to acute or mucronate; petals often coiled, white or pale pink, oblanceolate, (narrowly clawed), unlobed, 1.6–3.3 mm (2–3 times as long as sepals), margins entire; stamens exserted to 3 mm; styles exserted to 2.5 mm, 0.2–4.2 mm, to 0.1 mm diam. |
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Capsules | urceolate, 4–6 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
ovoid, 3–8.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
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Seeds | dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.7 mm. |
black, broadly ellipsoid, (not curved), 0.5–0.8 mm. |
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Inflorescenses | dense. |
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Heuchera elegans |
Heuchera micrantha |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Rocky sites in yellow pine and red fir forests | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 1500-2600 m (4900-8500 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
CA |
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
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Discussion | Heuchera elegans occurs in the mountains of southern California, chiefly in the San Gabriel Range in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and vicinity. It resembles H. caespitosa. This group is in need of phylogenetic study. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora). The Skagit Indians rubbed pounded plants of Heuchera micrantha on hair to make it grow and applied it to cuts. The Thompson Indians used a mashed poultice of this root mixed with Douglas fir pitch for wounds. Chewed leaves and roots were spat on sores or wounds. Infusions of roots were taken for liver trouble and sore throat. Small, peeled, cleaned root pieces were chewed for mouth sores and gum boils (D. E. Moerman 1998). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 100. | FNA vol. 8, p. 91. | ||||||||||||||||
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Name authority | Abrams: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 67. 1902 , | Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , | ||||||||||||||||
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