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

green-flower alum-root, meadow, meadow alumroot, narrow-flower, tall, tall alumroot

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

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

40–110 cm, long 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 long stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly ovate to nearly orbiculate, shallowly 5–7-lobed, 3–8 cm, base deeply cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces long stipitate-glandular.

Inflorescences

diffuse.

dense.

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 slightly bilaterally symmetric, free to 1 mm, green, broadly campanulate, inflated distal to adnation to ovary, 6–11 mm, short stipitate-glandular and sparsely long stipitate-glandular, densely papillate inside;

sepals erect, darker green-tipped, equal, 4–6 mm, apex obtuse or rounded;

petals absent or 1–5, erect, green, narrowly lanceolate, unlobed, 1.2–1.4 mm, margins entire;

stamens included 2–3 mm; (filaments erect, straight, stout, ca. 3 times length of anthers);

styles included 2–2.5 mm, 0.5–1 mm, 0.1+ mm diam.

Capsules

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

ovoid, 10–12 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

Seeds

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

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.9 mm, finely spiny.

2n

= 14.

Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera chlorantha

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Grassy, rocky bluffs along shore lines, margins of forest openings, rocky stream banks
Elevation 100-1200 m [300-3900 ft]
Distribution
map from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Heuchera chlorantha occurs in the Pacific Northwest north to the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. Inland, it occurs from the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains westward in Oregon and Washington. A putative hybrid between H. chlorantha and H. micrantha var. diversifolia, named H. ×easthamii Calder & Savile, has been reported in the Hazelton region of British Columbia. The leaf form and capsule size are intermediate between those of the two parents, both of which occur in the region.

(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. caroliniana, 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
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , Piper: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 16: 206. 1913 ,
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 91. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes. FNA vol. 8, p. 101. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes.
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