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alum root, crevice alum-root, small-flower alumroot

Carolina alum-root

Habit Herbs caulescent; caudex branched. Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched.
Flowering stems

6–57 cm, short to long stipitate-glandular or glabrous, viscid.

leafy, 30–105 cm, short stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

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.

petiole glabrous or short stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly ovate, shallowly 5-lobed, 3–10.5 cm, base cordate or nearly truncate, lobes rounded or ovate, margins dentate, apex acute or obtuse, surfaces glabrous or minutely stipitate-glandular on veins abaxially, glabrous or short stipitate-glandular adaxially.

Inflorescences

diffuse.

diffuse.

Flowers

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.

hypanthium weakly bilaterally symmetric, free 1.3–2.5 mm, green, subglobose, abruptly inflated distal to adnation to ovary, 2.8–4.5 mm, short stipitate-glandular;

sepals erect, green-tipped, equal, 0.4–1.5 mm, apex rounded;

petals erect, white or pink, broadly spatulate, unlobed, 0.6–1 mm, margins entire;

stamens exserted 0.2–1.5 mm;

styles included from 1 mm to exserted 1.1 mm, 1–3.5 mm, to 0.1 mm diam; (stigmas from 0.5 mm included to 1.1 mm exserted).

Capsules

ovoid, 3–8.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

ovoid, 4–7 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

Seeds

black, broadly ellipsoid, (not curved), 0.5–0.8 mm.

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.8 mm.

2n

= 14.

Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera caroliniana

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Rich upland woods on base-saturated substrates, basic dikes and basic rock outcroppings
Elevation 30-300 m [100-1000 ft]
Distribution
map from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
NC; SC; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

The geographic range of Heuchera caroliniana is contiguous with and appears to be a southern extension of that of H. pubescens. Heuchera americana var. americana occurs in counties adjacent to the range of H. caroliniana but they are sympatric only along the boundary; intergradation between the two is infrequent. Mixed populations of H. caroliniana and H. americana var. americana have not been seen.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Saxifragaceae > Heuchera Saxifragaceae > Heuchera
Sibling taxa
H. abramsii, H. alba, H. americana, H. bracteata, H. brevistaminea, H. caespitosa, H. caroliniana, H. chlorantha, H. cylindrica, H. eastwoodiae, H. elegans, H. glabra, H. glomerulata, H. grossulariifolia, H. hallii, H. hirsutissima, H. longiflora, H. maxima, H. merriamii, H. novamexicana, H. parishii, H. parviflora, H. parvifolia, H. pilosissima, H. pubescens, H. pulchella, H. richardsonii, H. rubescens, H. sanguinea, H. villosa, H. wootonii
H. abramsii, H. alba, H. americana, H. bracteata, H. brevistaminea, H. caespitosa, H. chlorantha, H. cylindrica, H. eastwoodiae, H. elegans, H. glabra, H. glomerulata, H. grossulariifolia, H. hallii, H. hirsutissima, H. longiflora, H. maxima, H. merriamii, H. micrantha, H. novamexicana, H. parishii, H. parviflora, H. parvifolia, H. pilosissima, H. pubescens, H. pulchella, H. richardsonii, H. rubescens, H. sanguinea, H. villosa, H. wootonii
Subordinate taxa
H. micrantha var. diversifolia, H. micrantha var. erubescens, H. micrantha var. hartwegii, H. micrantha var. macropetala, H. micrantha var. micrantha
Key
1. Leaf blades orbiculate to pentagonal, shallowly lobed.
var. micrantha
1. Leaf blades pentagonal or heptagonal, deeply lobed
→ 2
2. Inflorescences short stipitate-glandular; petioles short stipitate-glandular or sparsely long stipitate-glandular
→ 3
2. Inflorescences long stipitate-glandular; petioles short to long stipitate-glandular
→ 4
3. Hypanthia hemispheric, 1 times long as wide; petals 0.4-1.4 mm wide.
var. macropetala
3. Hypanthia obconic, 1.4 times longer than wide; petals 0.2-0.6 mm wide.
var. erubescens
4. Hypanthia long stipitate-glandular, sepal apex rounded to acute.
var. hartwegii
4. Hypanthia sparsely long stipitate-glandular, sepal apex acute to mucronate
var. diversifolia
Synonyms H. americana var. caroliniana
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , (Rosendahl Butters & Lakela) E. F. Wells: Rhodora 81: 575. (1979)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 91. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes. FNA vol. 8, p. 95. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes.
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