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coralbells

gooseberry-leaf alumroot

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

20–40 cm, short and sometimes long stipitate-glandular.

15–65 cm, glabrous or short stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

petiole long stipitate-glandular;

blade reniform to orbiculate, shallowly 5–7-lobed, 2–5.5 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces long stipitate-glandular on veins abaxially, glabrous or sparsely 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

moderately dense to diffuse.

dense, interrupted.

Flowers

hypanthium weakly bilaterally to radially symmetric, free 2.5–2.8 mm, dark pink to red, broadly campanulate or urceolate, 4–8 mm, short stipitate-glandular proximally, sparsely long stipitate-glandular distally;

sepals spreading, darker red-tipped, equal, 2–3 mm, apex oblong or rounded;

petals spreading, pink or cream, narrowly oblanceolate, unlobed, 1.2–1.8 mm (shorter than sepals), margins entire;

stamens included 1.5–3 mm;

styles included 1.5–3 mm, 1.5–2 mm, 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, 4.5–6 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

ovoid, 5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose.

Seeds

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, bluntly spiny.

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6 mm.

2n

= 14, 28.

Heuchera sanguinea

Heuchera grossulariifolia

Phenology Flowering Mar–Oct. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Moist, shaded rocks Grassy hillsides, rocky canyon walls, alpine talus slopes
Elevation 1200-2600 m (3900-8500 ft) 100-3400 m (300-11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Heuchera sanguinea occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Chihuahua, Mexico, and is widely cultivated throughout the cooler parts of North America.

Heuchera sanguinea varies considerably within populations in shape, lobing, and size of leaves, in amount of hairs, and in shape, form, and color of flowers. Rydberg recognized var. pulchra as characterized by denser inflorescences and longer hairs on its pedicels, inferior part of the ovary, and sepals. Mixed populations with individuals bearing longer and shorter hairs can be found throughout the range of the species, especially in Arizona. It seems best to recognize H. sanguinea as a variable species without infraspecific taxa.

(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. 100. FNA vol. 8, p. 103.
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. micrantha, H. novamexicana, H. parishii, H. parviflora, H. parvifolia, H. pilosissima, H. pubescens, H. pulchella, H. richardsonii, H. rubescens, 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. 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
Synonyms H. sanguinea var. pulchra H. cusickii, H. grossulariifolia var. tenuifolia, H. tenuifolia
Name authority Engelmann: in F. A. Wislizenus, Mem. Tour N. Mexico, 107. 1848 , Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 196. (1900)
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