Heuchera richardsonii |
Heuchera micrantha |
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Richardson's alum-root |
alum root, crevice alum-root, small-flower alumroot |
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Habit | Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. | Herbs caulescent; caudex branched. | ||||||||||||||||
Flowering stems | (7–)20–95 cm, densely long stipitate-glandular. |
6–57 cm, short to long stipitate-glandular or glabrous, viscid. |
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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 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. |
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Inflorescences | dense to diffuse. |
diffuse. |
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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 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. |
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Capsules | ovoid, 7–14.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
ovoid, 3–8.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. |
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Seeds | dark or very dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.9 mm. |
black, broadly ellipsoid, (not curved), 0.5–0.8 mm. |
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2n | = 14, 28. |
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Heuchera richardsonii |
Heuchera micrantha |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Moist or dry, low or upland prairies, basic rock outcroppings and bluffs, sandy, dry woods | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 200-800 m (700-2600 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; OK; SD; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; SK
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CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
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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.) |
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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 96. | FNA vol. 8, p. 91. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Heuchera | Saxifragaceae > Heuchera | ||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Synonyms | H. richardsonii var. affinis, H. richardsonii var. grayana, H. richardsonii var. hispidior | |||||||||||||||||
Name authority | R. Brown: in J. Franklin et al., Narr. Journey Polar Sea, 766, plate 29. (1823) | Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1302. 1830 , | ||||||||||||||||
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