Heuchera ( [ Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. 606–607.] or ["heuchera, n."
]
(accessed June 16, 2021).) is a genus of largely evergreen[ Heuchera sichotensis (Gorovoj & N.S.Pavlova) Zhmylev. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 April 2024.] Common names include alumroot and coral bells.
Description
Heuchera have
lobed leaves on long petioles, and a thick, woody
rootstock. The genus was named after Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677–1746), an 18th-century
Germany physician,
[ Heuchera. Flora of North America.] and Professor at Wittenberg University.
[Archibald William Smith ] There are approximately 37 species, but the taxonomy of the genus is difficult because the species often intergrade with one another, hybridization is common, and the flowers change markedly in proportion as they develop.
Distribution and habitat
Alumroot species grow in varied habitats, so some species look quite different from one another, and have varying preferences regarding temperature, soil, and other natural factors.
H. maxima is found on the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on rocky, windy, saline-washed ocean shores, and
H. sanguinea, called
coral bells because of its cerise
, can be found in the warm, dry canyons of
Mexico and adjacent
New Mexico and
Arizona. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the plants grow best in shade.
Several alumroots and their crosses are used as .[
]
Uses
Native American peoples used some Heuchera species medicinally. The Tlingit people used H. glabra as an herbal remedy for inflammation of the caused by syphilis.[ Heuchera glabra. Flora of North America.] To the Navajo people, H. novamexicana was a panacea and a pain reliever.[ Heuchera novamexicana. Flora of North America.] The roots of H. cylindrica had a variety of medicinal uses among the Blackfoot, Flathead, Ktunaxa, Okanagan people, Colville, and Secwepemc.[ Heuchera cylindrica. Flora of North America.]
Cultivation
The majority of Heuchera sold for gardens are hybrids of H. americana, such as 'Green Spice'.[Cullina, W. New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000. , ] which was then crossed with H. americana. Another group of hybrids are crosses of Heuchera with Tiarella treated under the name × Heucherella. Gardeners and horticulturists have developed a multitude of hybrids between various Heuchera species. There is an extensive array of blossom sizes, shapes, and colors, foliage types, and geographic tolerances. They are valued as foliage plants, producing rosettes of leaves in shades of green, pink and bronze, often variegation or textured; with long of white, green, pink or red flowers in spring.
The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
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'Green Spice'
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'Lime Marmalade'
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'Magic Wand'
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'Marmalade'
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'Obsidian'
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'Purple Petticoats'
Species
45 species are accepted.[ Heuchera: List of Species. Flora of North America.][ Heuchera. USDA PLANTS.][ GRIN Species Records of Heuchera. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).]
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Heuchera abramsii - San Gabriel alumroot
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Heuchera acutifolia
[R. A. Folk & J. V. Freudenstein (2014) Revision of Heuchera Section Rhodoheuchera Subsections Hemsleyanae and Rosendahliae Subsectio Nova (Saxifragaceae). Systematic Botany 39(3): 850-874.]
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Heuchera alba - white alumroot
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Heuchera americana - American alumroot
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Heuchera bracteata - Rocky Mountain alumroot
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Heuchera brevistaminea - Laguna Mountain alumroot
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Heuchera caespitosa - tufted alumroot
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Heuchera caroliniana - Carolina alumroot
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Heuchera chlorantha - green-flowered alumroot
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Heuchera cylindrica - roundleaf alumroot, lava alumroot
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Heuchera × easthamii
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Heuchera eastwoodiae - Senator Mine alumroot
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Heuchera elegans - urnflower alumroot
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Heuchera folkii
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Heuchera glabra - alpine alumroot
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Heuchera glomerulata - Chiricahua Mountain alumroot
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Heuchera grossulariifolia - gooseberryleaf alumroot
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Heuchera hallii - Front Range alumroot
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Heuchera hirsutissima - shaggy-haired alumroot
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Heuchera inconstans
[R. A. Folk & P. J. Alexander (2015) Two New Species, Heuchera soltisii and H. inconstans, with Further Taxonomic Notes for the Western Group of Heuchera Section Heuchera (Saxifragaceae). Systematic Botany 40(2):489-500.]
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Heuchera lakelae
[R. Folk (2013) Heuchera lakelae (Saxifragaceae), a new species from the Sierra La Marta and Sierra Coahuilón, Coahuila and Nuevo León, Mexico. Phytotaxa 124: 37-42.]
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Heuchera longiflora - longflower alumroot
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Heuchera longipetala
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Heuchera maxima - island alumroot, jill-of-the-rocks
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Heuchera merriamii - Merriam's alumroot
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Heuchera mexicana
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Heuchera micrantha - crevice alumroot, smallflower alumroot
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Heuchera missouriensis
[R.A. Folk and J.V. Freudenstein. 2015. "Sky islands" in the eastern U.S.A.? – Strong phylogenetic structure in the Heuchera parviflora group (Saxifragaceae). Taxon 64: 254– 271.]
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Heuchera novomexicana - New Mexico alumroot, range alumroot
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Heuchera parishii - Mill Creek alumroot
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Heuchera parviflora - littleflower alumroot
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Heuchera parvifolia - littleleaf alumroot, common alumroot
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Heuchera pilosissima - seaside alumroot
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Heuchera puberula
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Heuchera pubescens - downy alumroot
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Heuchera pulchella - Sandia Mountain alumroot
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Heuchera richardsonii - Richardson's alumroot
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Heuchera rosendahlii
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Heuchera rubescens - pink alumroot, red alumroot, jack-o'the-rocks
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Heuchera sanguinea - coral bells
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Heuchera sichotensis
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Heuchera soltisii
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Heuchera villosa - hairy alumroot, maple-leaved alumroot
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Heuchera wellsiae
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Heuchera woodsiaphila
[P. J. Alexander (2008) Heuchera woodsiaphila (Saxifragaceae), a new species from the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 2(1): 447-453.]
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Heuchera wootonii - White Mountain alumroot
Hybrids include:
==Gallery==
External links
