American alumroot
Heuchera americana
The common name 'alumroot' refers to the plant's highly astringent root, which was historically used by Native Americans as a powerful styptic to stop bleeding.
- Scientific name
- Heuchera americana
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Saxifragales › Saxifragaceae › Heuchera
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Rich, rocky woods, talus slopes, shaded cliffs, and calcareous outcrops.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing water and minerals from rocky, well-drained soils).
- Range
- Eastern North America, Central North America, Appalachian Mountains
- Size
- Foliage clump 15-30 cm tall, with flower stalks reaching up to 60 cm.
- Lifespan
- 5-10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, displacement by invasive forest weeds, and localized over-foraging.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely observe and touch its beautiful marbled leaves. While nontoxic, wild specimens should not be harvested or ingested, as their high tannin content is extremely astringent and can cause mild digestive discomfort.
Heuchera americana , or American alumroot , is a small (under 2 ft. high and wide) evergreen perennial native to eastern and central North America in the Saxifrage family.
Photo: John Michael, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/6bef42f4-0a84-4701-9b7f-9a8bc7ff5d71.md