Heuchera americana

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 226. 1753 ,.

Common names: American alum-root
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 94. Mentioned on page 84, 85, 88, 95, 96.

Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. Flowering-stems leafy, 40–145 cm, glabrous or short-stipitate-glandular. Leaves: petiole glabrous or very short to long-stipitate-glandular; blade (often variegated adaxially), broadly ovate to cordate, shallowly 5–9-lobed, 3.5–11 cm, base cordate to nearly truncate, lobes rounded or ovate, margins dentate, apex acute or obtuse, surfaces abaxially glabrous or short-stipitate-glandular, adaxially glabrous or short-stipitate-glandular. Inflorescences diffuse. Flowers: hypanthium weakly bilaterally symmetric, free 0.6–2 mm, green, urceolate or campanulate, abruptly inflated distal to adnation to ovary, 3–7.2 mm, very short-stipitate-glandular; sepals erect, green-tipped, equal, 1–2.4 mm, apex rounded; petals erect, greenish, white, pink, or purple, narrowly spatulate, unlobed, 0.9–4 mm, margins entire or finely dentate or fimbriate; stamens exserted 3–5 mm; styles exserted 2.6–6.4 mm, 4–7 mm, to 0.1 mm diam. Capsules ovoid, 4–10.5 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. Seeds dark-brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.9 mm.

Distribution

V8 180-distribution-map.gif

Ont., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.C., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Heuchera americana is highly polymorphic and distributed over a large part of the eastern United States and Canada. Its variability is largely the result of its wide geographic range, the sporadic, semi-isolated distribution of populations, and interaction of differential adaptation and genetic drift made possible by its distribution pattern.

Heuchera americana intergrades with both H. pubescens and H. richardsonii where they overlap; the intergrading form with H. pubescens is H. americana var. hispida, and with H. richardsonii it is H. americana var. hirsuticaulis. A breeding study between H. americana, H. pubescens, H. richardsonii, and other species demonstrated ease of artificial hybridization and fertility of offspring among H. americana, H. pubescens, and H. richardsonii (E. F. Wells 1979).

Individuals of the three varieties do not form intermixed populations; populations tend to be geographically isolated from one another and to be relatively uniform, displaying somewhat narrow character variation within a population.

The Cherokee Indians took Heuchera americana for dysentery and used the powdered root for malignant ulcers, bad sores, bowel complaints, piles, female problems, and sore mouth. The Chickasaw Indians used the root as an astringent and tonic (D. E. Moerman 1998).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Petioles densely long stipitate-glandular. Heuchera americana var. hirsuticaulis
1 Petioles glabrous or short to sparsely long stipitate-glandular > 2
2 Petioles glabrous or very short to sparsely long stipitate-glandular; hypanthia free 0.6-1.5 mm; petals greenish, white, or pink, narrower than sepals, margins entire or finely dentate. Heuchera americana var. americana
2 Petioles glabrous or very short stipitate-glandular; hypanthia free 1.5-2 mm; petals purple or pink, wider than sepals, margins fimbriate. Heuchera americana var. hispida

"full" is not a number.

... more about "Heuchera americana"
epigynous +, perigynous +  and hypogynous +
rounded +, obtuse +  and acute +
Elizabeth Fortson Wells +  and Barbara Greene Shipes +
Linnaeus +
cordate +  and nearly truncate +
not papillose +
dentate +, serrate +  and entire +
glandular-ciliate +  and ciliate +
3-9-lobed +, polygonal +, oblong +, cordate +, ovate +, orbiculate +  and reniform +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.05 cm10.5 mm <br />0.0105 m <br />) +
3-carpellate +  and 2-carpellate +
American alum-root +
ebracteate +, bracteate +  and 2-300(-1000+)-flowered +
Ont. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, La. +, Md. +, Mich. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, N.C. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, Pa. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Va. +  and W.Va. +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (145 cm1,450 mm <br />1.45 m <br />) +
2-3(-4)-beaked +  and folliclelike +
multicellular +
short-stipitate-glandular +
inflated +, campanulate +  and urceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.72 cm7.2 mm <br />0.0072 m <br />) +
bracteate +, not secund +  and 100-1000-flowered +
dense +  and diffuse +
opposite +  and alternate +
5-9-lobed +, broadly ovate +  and cordate +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
ovate;rounded +
finely dentate or fimbriate +, entire +  and dentate +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
crassinucellate +, unitegmic +  and bitegmic +
epigynous +, perigynous +  and hypogynous +
purple +, pink +, white +  and greenish +
distinct +
unlobed +  and spatulate +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
peltate +  and jointed +
long-stipitate-glandular +  and glabrous +
unequal +
dark-brown +
straight +
muricate +, cellular-rugulose +, tuberculate +, pitted +, papillate +  and wrinkled +
ellipsoid +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br />) +
green-tipped +
distinct +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
unbranched +  and branched +
persistent +
horizontal +  and erect +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br />) +
connate +  and distinct +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
short-stipitate-glandular +  and glabrous +
Heuchera americana +
Heuchera +
species +
glandular-ciliate +  and ciliate +
crenate +  and dentate +
annual +, biennial +  and perennial +