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

cave alumroot, little-flower alum-root

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

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

9–45 cm, short to 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 usually long stipitate-glandular, sometimes short stipitate-glandular;

blade (often purple abaxially), reniform to orbiculate, shallowly 5–7-lobed, 3–13 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins crenate, apex obtuse, surfaces short or long stipitate-glandular abaxially, short stipitate-glandular adaxially, viscid.

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 radially symmetric, free to 0.3 mm, white or pink, obconic, 1.2–3.2 mm, short or moderately long stipitate-glandular;

sepals erect, green-tipped, equal, 0.5–1.3 mm, apex rounded;

petals reflexed, white or pink, narrowly oblanceolate, unlobed, 1.5–3.5 mm, margins entire;

stamens exserted 1.2–3.2 mm;

styles exserted 1–3 mm, 1.5–4 mm, to 0.1 mm diam.

Capsules

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

ovoid, 2–5.7 mm, (minutely stipitate-glandular or glabrous), beaks divergent, not papillose.

Seeds

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

dark brown, ovoid, 0.4–0.6 mm, smooth.

Heuchera micrantha

Heuchera parviflora

Distribution
map from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
AL; AR; IL; IN; KY; MO; MS; NC; SC; TN; VA; WV
[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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The specific epithet, parviflora, is similar to that of another species, Heuchera parvifolia, but these two species are distinct and have different legitimate names. The varieties of H. parviflora are not sympatric. The species merits phylogenetic study. The Blackfoot Indians applied a poultice of the pounded root to sores and swellings (D. E. Moerman 1998).

(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. parishii, 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
H. parviflora var. parviflora, H. parviflora var. puberula
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
1. Petioles and hypanthia sparsely to densely long stipitate-glandular; leaf blades sparsely to densely long stipitate-glandular abaxially, hairs 0.7- 2.5 mm.
var. parviflora
1. Petioles and hypanthia densely short stipitate- glandular; leaf blades densely short stipitate-glandular abaxially, hairs to 0.6 mm.
var. puberula
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , Bartling: Index Seminum (Göttingen) 1838: 4. 1838 ,
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 91. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes. FNA vol. 8, p. 90. Treatment authors: Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Barbara Greene Shipes.
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