Heuchera


Heuchera is a genus of largely evergreen perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae. All species are native to North America except for Heuchera sichotensis, native to the Russian Far East. Common names include alumroot and coral bells.

Description

Heuchera have palmately lobed leaves on long petioles, and a thick, woody rootstock. The genus was named after Johann Heinrich von Heucher, an 18th-century German physician, and Professor at Wittenberg University. 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 flowers, 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 ornamental plants.

Uses

Native American peoples used some Heuchera species medicinally. The Tlingit used H. glabra as an herbal remedy for inflammation of the testicles caused by syphilis. To the Navajo, H. novamexicana was a panacea and a pain reliever. The roots of H. cylindrica had a variety of medicinal uses among the Blackfoot, Flathead, Kutenai, Okanagan, Colville, and Shuswap.

Cultivation

The majority of Heuchera sold for gardens are hybrids of H. americana, such as 'Green Spice'.
The original 'Purple Palace' discovered in a palace in England is believed to be a H. micrantha × H. villosa hybrid, 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 variegated or textured; with long thyrses of white, green, pink or red flowers in spring.
The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
  • 'Blackberry Jam'
  • 'Can-Can'
  • 'Green Spice'
  • 'Lime Marmalade'
  • 'Magic Wand'
  • 'Marmalade'
  • 'Obsidian'
  • 'Purple Petticoats'
  • 'Regina'
  • 'Sashay'
  • 'Walnut'

Species

45 species are accepted.Heuchera abramsii - San Gabriel alumrootHeuchera acutifolia Heuchera alba - white alumrootHeuchera americana - American alumrootHeuchera bracteata - Rocky Mountain alumrootHeuchera brevistaminea - Laguna Mountain alumrootHeuchera caespitosa - tufted alumrootHeuchera caroliniana - Carolina alumrootHeuchera chlorantha - green-flowered alumrootHeuchera cylindrica - roundleaf alumroot, lava alumrootHeuchera × easthamii Heuchera eastwoodiae - Senator Mine alumrootHeuchera elegans - urnflower alumrootHeuchera folkii Heuchera glabra - alpine alumrootHeuchera glomerulata - Chiricahua Mountain alumrootHeuchera grossulariifolia - gooseberryleaf alumrootHeuchera hallii - Front Range alumrootHeuchera hirsutissima - shaggy-haired alumrootHeuchera inconstans Heuchera lakelae Heuchera longiflora - longflower alumroot Heuchera longipetala Heuchera maxima - island alumroot, jill-of-the-rocksHeuchera merriamii - Merriam's alumrootHeuchera mexicana Heuchera micrantha - crevice alumroot, smallflower alumrootHeuchera missouriensis Heuchera novomexicana - New Mexico alumroot, range alumrootHeuchera parishii - Mill Creek alumrootHeuchera parviflora - littleflower alumrootHeuchera parvifolia - littleleaf alumroot, common alumrootHeuchera pilosissima - seaside alumrootHeuchera puberula Heuchera pubescens - downy alumrootHeuchera pulchella - Sandia Mountain alumrootHeuchera richardsonii - Richardson's alumrootHeuchera rosendahlii Heuchera rubescens - pink alumroot, red alumroot, jack-o'the-rocksHeuchera sanguinea - coral bellsHeuchera sichotensis Heuchera soltisii Heuchera villosa - hairy alumroot, maple-leaved alumrootHeuchera wellsiae Heuchera woodsiaphila Heuchera wootonii - White Mountain alumroot
Hybrids include:
  • Heuchera × ''brizoides''