The genus Heuchera, named by Linnaeus in honor of Johann Helnrich von 

 Heucher (1677-1747), professor of botany in Wittenberg, Germany, is an 

 exclusively North American group, ranging from the Arctic regions to Mexico. 

 About 80 species, all perennial herbs, are known ; of these, at least 30 species 

 occur in the western range country ; about 12 others are confined to the 

 Eastern States. Alumroots, blossoming as they do before hot, dry weather 

 begins, prefer steep, rocky hillsides, that are moist in the early spring. 

 They frequently occur in sheltered crevices of cliffs, apparently growing upon 

 solid rocks. These plants rank among the first perennial vegetation to in- 

 habit rock slides. Nearly all alumroots have strong, deep, vertical, taprootlike 

 rootstocks which anchor them securely in the soil and fortify them against 

 both drought and cold. The group is an exceptionally hardy one, and their 

 leaves often persist throughout the winter. These plants are called alum- 

 roots because of the alumlike taste of the rootstocks; some species are locally 

 prized on account of their astringent properties. 



Alumroots are seldom abundant and frequently grow in places inaccessible 

 to livestock; they are seldom eaten, however, probably due to the stinging 

 astringency of the herbage. The rootstock of American alumroot (II. ameri- 

 ca'na), an eastern species, is the source of the drug heuchem, an astringent 

 and antiseptic, formerly official in medicine. It was used by the Indians as a 

 powder in the treatment of sores, wounds, ulcers, and as a base for cancer 

 powders. 1 Analysis 2 has shown that tannin is present in this drug. Holm 1 

 also reports that hunters in Montana use the rootstocks of three native west- 

 ern alumroots, i. e., rough alumroot (H. his'pida), roundleaf alumroot (H. 

 cylin'drica)) and littleleaf alumroot (H. parrifo'lia), as astringents, and par- 

 ticularly as a remedy for the diarrhea caused by drinking alkali water. Some 

 pharmacologists believe that our American alumroots justify thorough study 

 from the chemical and pharmaceutical standpoints. 3 4 



A few alumroots are known horticulturally, being grown chiefly in rock 

 gardens. Coralbells (H. sangui'nea), a very showy, red-flowered species grow- 

 ing on shaded cliffs in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico, is probably the most 

 widely cultivated species, the source of a number of named horticultural 

 varieties. 5 



The leaves of alumroots are usually long-stalked, more or less heart-shaped, 

 shallow-lobed with toothed edges, and are mostly basal, or reduced and alter- 

 nate when they occur on the stems bearing the flower clusters. The small, 

 white, yellowish, greenish, purplish, or red, bell-shaped flowers are borne in 

 loose, delicate clusters (panicles) on a slender or stout stalk. The five petals 

 vary in length as compared with the five sepals or occasionally are lacking; 

 they are often less conspicuous than the sepals and calyx tube (hypanthium), 

 which are usually colored. The five slender-stalked stamens are inserted with 

 the petals on the calyx tube, which is attached to the lower portion of the 

 seed-producing organ (ovary). The dry, one-celled, two-beaked fruit (capsule) 

 separates into two halves at maturity. 



Ovalleaf alumroot (Heuchera ovaUfoUa), a more or less tufted perennial herb 

 with oval leaves, is representative of the range species of this genus. It occurs 

 from southern British Columbia and southern Alberta to Colorado, Nevada, and 

 northern California, being especially characteristic of the aspen, spruce, and al- 

 pine belts but occasionally appearing at elevations of less than 2,000 feet in 

 Washington. The plant prefers dry, sunny sites, growing commonly among the 

 cliffs and rocks of the foothills and mountains ; sometimes, however, it develops 

 as scattered individuals on the better soils of open grass or weed types. 



Although rather widely distributed, ovalleaf alumroot is not very abundant 

 and has practically negligible livestock value. Deer and elk sometimes eat 

 the plant, and sheep occasionally nibble at the flowers. 



1 Holm, T. MEDICINAL PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA. 65 HEUCHERA AMERICANA L. 



Merck's Kept. 21 : 267-269, illus. 1912. 



a Peacock, J. C., and Peacock, B. L. DeG. FURTHER STUDY OF THE TANNIN OF 

 HEUCHERA AMERICANA, LiNNE. Jour. Amer. Pharm. Assoc. 16 : 729-737. 1927. 



3 Schneider, A. PHARMACAL PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE. Calif. State Bd. Forestry 

 Bull. 2, 175 pp. 1912. 



4 Stuhr, E. T. MANUAL. OF PACIFIC COAST DRUG PLANTS . . . 189 pp., illus. Lancaster, 

 Pa. 1933. 



5 Bailey, L. H. THE STANDARD CYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE . . . New ed., 3 v., 

 illus. New York and London, 1933. 



