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

Mill Creek alum-root, Parish's alumroot

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

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

8–40 cm, long stipitate-glandular, viscid.

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 densely long stipitate-glandular;

blade broadly ovate or reniform, deeply 5-lobed, 2–4 cm, base cordate or truncate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces long stipitate-glandular, viscid.

Inflorescences

diffuse.

dense, (secund).

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 strongly bilaterally symmetric, free 0.8 mm on abaxial side, 1.2–2 mm on adaxial side, weakly inflated, pink to reddish, narrowly campanulate, 3.5–6 mm, short stipitate-glandular proximally, long stipitate-glandular distally;

sepals erect, green-tipped, unequal, 0.5–1 mm on abaxial side, 1.5–2 mm on adaxial side, apex rounded;

petals spreading, pink, narrowly oblanceolate, unlobed, (unequal, shorter on abaxial side, resembling filaments), 2–3 mm (equaling or longer than sepals), margins entire;

stamens exserted 1.5 mm;

styles exserted 0.5–1.5 mm, 1.5–2.5 mm, 0.1+ mm diam.

Capsules

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

ovoid, 4–6 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

Seeds

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

black, fusiform, rounded at 1 end, acute at other, ca. 0.9 mm.

Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera parishii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Shaded rocky places in yellow pine and red fir forest
Elevation 1500-3800 m [4900-12500 ft]
Distribution
map from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
CA
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Heuchera parishii occurs in the San Bernardino Mountains.

(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. 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. 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. alpestris
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 109. (1905)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 91. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes. FNA vol. 8, p. 98. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes.
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