Heuchera glabra |
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alpine alum-root, alpine heuchera, smooth alumroot |
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Habit | Herbs subcaulescent; caudex branched. |
Flowering stems | 15–60 cm, glabrous or short stipitate-glandular. |
Leaves | petiole glabrous or short stipitate-glandular; blade rounded-cordate to orbiculate, often ± polygonal, deeply 5(–7+)-lobed, 3.5–10 cm, base usually cordate, sometimes nearly truncate, lobes usually triangular, sometimes ovate, margins raggedly dentate to serrate, apex usually acute, surfaces sparsely short stipitate-glandular, glabrate. |
Inflorescences | diffuse. |
Flowers | hypanthium radially symmetric, free 0.4–0.5 mm, white, obconic, 2–3.5 mm, moderately long stipitate-glandular; sepals erect, green-tipped, equal, 0.5 mm, apex rounded; petals reflexed, white, narrowly elliptic, (clawed), unlobed, 1.8–2 mm, margins entire; stamens exserted 1–1.5 mm; styles exserted 2–2.5 mm, 2–4 mm, to 0.1 mm diam. |
Capsules | ovoid, 4–6 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
Seeds | dark brown, narrowly ellipsoid, 0.7–0.8 mm, finely spiny. |
2n | = 14. |
Heuchera glabra |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Rock ledges and crevices along cliffs to above tree line |
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; OR; WA; AB; BC
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Discussion | Heuchera glabra occurs from near sea level in the Aleutian Islands and the Panhandle in Alaska to above the tree line on Mount Hood, Oregon, in the Cascades, Olympic Mountains, and Wenatchee Mountains in Washington, and in the Coast Mountains to the Selkirks Range in British Columbia. It intergrades with H. micrantha where their ranges overlap in British Columbia, and where the two species probably hybridize. It tends to occur at higher elevations than does H. micrantha. The Tlingit used this species to treat inflammation of the testicles from syphilis (D. E. Moerman 1998). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 89. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Heuchera |
Sibling taxa | |
Name authority | Willdenow ex Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 6: 216. 1820 , |
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