Alumroot
Heuchera richardsonii
Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii) is a native perennial with a low rosette of rounded, lobed, hairy leaves and tall stalks of small, tubular flowers that are usually green, turning brownish or reddish in sun. In South Dakota it blooms in June and July in open woodlands and prairies, and plants have been collected in the Black Hills area. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Saxifragaceae · Saxifrage |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | June and July |
| Height | 15–70 cm (6–28 in) |
| Where | Open woods, prairies and rock outcrops |
| Also called | Prairie Alumroot, Richardson's Alumroot |
| Traditional use | Flora of North America reports, citing Moerman 1998, that the Blackfoot, Cree and Lakota used root preparations for diarrhea and as an eyewash, and that the Lakota put a powdered-root poultice on sores. |
| Note | Listed under both Pink and Green & Brown. Sources call the flowers usually green, turning yellowish brown or reddish in sunnier spots. |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: A thick, branching caudex, the woody base at the root crown.
Seed: An oval capsule, 7 to 14.5 mm, ripens brown and splits in July and August, releasing many tiny dark brown seeds less than 1 mm long.
Germination: Seed needs 30 to 60 days of cold, moist treatment before spring sowing. Sow shallowly, since light helps it sprout.
How do you identify Alumroot?
Look for a basal rosette of round to heart-shaped leaves with 5 to 9 rounded, toothed lobes, long hairy leaf stalks, and flower stems thick with long, gland-tipped hairs. Each flower is a small tube with 5 orange-tipped stamens, and its two upper lobes drape over them.
When does it bloom?
June and July.
Where does it grow?
Open woodlands and prairies in scattered counties across South Dakota. It also grows on rock outcrops and bluffs and in sandy soil and dry woods. Devils Tower National Monument lists Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii), in bloom in June and July.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Heuchera richardsonii; Minnesota Wildflowers: Heuchera richardsonii (Prairie Alumroot); Flora of North America: Heuchera richardsonii; Ryan Folk, Heuchera site: Heuchera richardsonii; National Park Service, Devils Tower: Wildflowers; Flora of North America: Heuchera parvifolia; Marriott and Hartman 1986, A Survey of the Vegetation of Jewel Cave National Monument.