Heuchera richardsonii |
Heuchera grossulariifolia |
|
---|---|---|
Richardson's alum-root |
gooseberry-leaf alumroot |
|
Habit | Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. | Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. |
Flowering stems | (7–)20–95 cm, densely long stipitate-glandular. |
15–65 cm, glabrous or short stipitate-glandular. |
Leaves | petiole densely or sparsely long or short stipitate-glandular; blade broadly ovate or cordate, deeply 5–7-lobed, 2.5–10 cm, base cordate or nearly truncate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex acute, surfaces long stipitate-glandular abaxially, glabrous or long stipitate-glandular adaxially. |
petiole glabrous or short stipitate-glandular; blade cordate or orbiculate, shallowly 3–5-lobed, 1–7 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous or short stipitate-glandular. |
Inflorescences | dense to diffuse. |
dense, interrupted. |
Flowers | hypanthium strongly bilaterally symmetric, free 2–7 mm, green, campanulate, abruptly inflated distal to adnation to ovary, 5–14 mm, short stipitate-glandular; sepals erect, green-tipped, equal, 1.3–4.2 mm, apex rounded (sinuses wider than petals); petals erect, green or greenish white, rarely pink, narrowly spatulate, unlobed, 1.3–4 mm, margins finely dentate or coarsely fimbriate; stamens 1.5 mm included to 4 mm exserted; styles from 0.6 mm included to 0.3 mm exserted, 4–6 mm, to 0.1 mm diam. |
hypanthium weakly bilaterally symmetric, free 1.2–1.9 mm, cream, broadly campanulate, 4–7 mm, short stipitate-glandular; sepals erect, often red-tipped, equal, 2 mm, apex rounded; petals erect, pink or white, spatulate to narrowly oblanceolate, (clawed), unlobed, 1–3 mm, margins entire; stamens included 1.5 mm; (filaments strongly incurved, shorter than and almost concealed by anthers); styles included to 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.1+ mm diam. |
Capsules | ovoid, 7–14.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
ovoid, 5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
Seeds | dark or very dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.9 mm. |
dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6 mm. |
2n | = 14, 28. |
= 14, 28. |
Heuchera richardsonii |
Heuchera grossulariifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Moist or dry, low or upland prairies, basic rock outcroppings and bluffs, sandy, dry woods | Grassy hillsides, rocky canyon walls, alpine talus slopes |
Elevation | 200-800 m (700-2600 ft) | 100-3400 m (300-11200 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; OK; SD; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; SK
|
ID; MT; NV; OR; WA
|
Discussion | Heuchera richardsonii intergrades with H. americana where their ranges overlap in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Oklahoma; the intergrading form is recognized here as H. americana var. hirsuticaulis. Heuchera hispida (H. americana var. hispida here; see thereunder) was confused with H. richardsonii for almost a hundred years, until C. O. Rosendahl et al. (1933) pointed out that the plants from the Midwest then passing as H. hispida Pursh were distinct from Pursh’s species and were H. richardsonii. The Blackfoot, Cree, Lakota, and Woodlands Indians used decoctions and infusions of the roots of Heuchera richardsonii for diarrhea and as an eyewash, and the Lakota applied a poultice of powdered roots to sores (D. E. Moerman 1998). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Heuchera grossulariifolia includes both diploids and autotetraploids. K. A. Segraves and J. N. Thompson (1999) analyzed floral traits and flowering phenology in diploid and autotetraploid plants. Overall, plant size was greater in tetraploids than in diploids; flowers of tetraploids were larger (average hypanthium 6.5 mm) than those of diploids (average hypanthium 5.5 mm) and had a slightly different shape and phenology, but the diploids and tetraploids were not assigned taxonomic status in their study. Diploids and tetraploids were mixed in some populations, where characters intergraded (D. E. Soltis, pers. comm.). The autotetraploids have had two to seven independent origins from diploid progenitors, and do not represent a monophyletic lineage (Segraves and Thompson; Segraves et al. 1999). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 96. | FNA vol. 8, p. 103. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Heuchera | Saxifragaceae > Heuchera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | H. richardsonii var. affinis, H. richardsonii var. grayana, H. richardsonii var. hispidior | H. cusickii, H. grossulariifolia var. tenuifolia, H. tenuifolia |
Name authority | R. Brown: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 766, plate 29. (1823) | Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 196. (1900) |
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