Indiana native plants
ALUMROOT
When building their own wildflower gardens, many people use species with large, showy flowers. However, some people may also plant wildflower species for their showy foliage. One of those species is the Alumroot (Heuchera americana L.).
Alumroot is a member of the Order Saxifragales and of the Family Saxifragaceae. Only 3 or 4 varieties are recognized.
The generic name, Heuchera, was named for the 18th Century German physician and botanist, Johann Heinrich von Heucher of Wittenberg University. The specific epithet, americana, refers to America, where this species was first discovered.
The common name, Alumroot, was named because the roots taste like alum. At different times and places, other common names for this species are American Alumroot, American Sanicle, Cliffweed, Common Alumroot, Coral Bells, Crag Jangle, Ground Maple, Hairy Alumroot, Mapleleaf, Rock Geranium, Split Rock, Tall Alumroot, and Woodland Alumroot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ALUMROOT
Perennial
Height: Its height is about 1-5 feet.
Stem: Its stem is solitary, long, erect, wiry, hairy, and sticky.
Leaves: Its leaves are all simple and basal with 1-2 alternate stem leaves. The basal leaves are arranged in a rosette. Each leaf is round or maple-like, is about 2-3 inches wide, is bluntly toothed, is palmately lobed with 5-9 shallow rounded lobes, and has a cordated (heart-shaped) base. It is smooth above and is hairy below. Its petioles are long, light green, and hairy. The leaves are white mottled and have dark red veins. The early leaves have reddish or purple-brown tinge.
Flowers: Its flowers are arranged in a loose, cylindrical, narrow, branching, and open panicled cluster upon the stem. Each branch has about 4-5 flowers. These clusters are about 3-8 inches long.
Each flower is about 1/8-1/4 inches long, drooping, and bell-shaped. They may or may not be symmetrical. It has a corolla of 5 yellow-green to purplish-red fused petals, a 5-lobed calyx of fused sepals, 5 protruding stamens with greenish-yellow filaments and yellow to red anthers, and 1 pistil with 2 united styles. Butterflies (Order Lepidoptera) pollinate these flowers. Flowering season is usually April to July.
Fruit: Its fruit is an elliptical or oval, dry, dark brown capsule. Each capsule has 1 chamber and 2 beaks with an opening between those beaks. When ripe, this fruit splits open between the beaks to release its seeds.
Seeds: Its seeds are small and numerous. Each seed is oval, black, spiny, and has a rough coat. These seeds are either dispersed by the wind or are carried upon the fur of Mammals (Class Mammalia).
Roots: Its root system consists of a short, stout, knotty, and horizontal rhizome with fibrous roots.
Habitat: Its habitats consist of dry upland woods and of steep rocky slopes.
Range: Its range covers much of the eastern U.S. to nearly the Great Plains. Their range excludes New England, the upper Great Lakes, and much of the Deep South.
Uses of the Alumroot:
Alumroot has a number of medicinal uses. This plant is a strong and intense astringent and styptic. The roots contain alum and the leaves contain tannin. A root or leaf tea was brewed and was used for treating dysentery, hemorrhoids, hemorrhages, and various other intestinal and stomach ailments. This tea was also used as a gargle for sore throats and as eyewash. The powdered roots and the leaves were used externally for treating abrasions, cuts, sores, wounds, and ulcers. The root was even used for treating cancer. The roots were also chewed for cleaning the teeth of plaque and tartar. These roots can be harvested after 1 year and the leaves can be harvested as needed. This plant was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1882.
Alumroot was once used as a source of tannic acid for various commercial uses. However, it is not used for that today.
Alumroot is also used as an ornamental plant. It is used in both wooded and rock gardens. It is tolerant of salt and of juglone, a toxic or growth-inhibiting substance secreted by Black Walnut (Juglans nigra L.) trees.
REFERENCES
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA
By David M. Brandenburg
WILDFLOWERS IN THE FIELD AND FOREST
By Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie
THE HISTORY AND FOLKLORE OF NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS
By Timothy Coffey
COMMON FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE NORTHEAST
By Donald D. Cox
WILDFLOWERS OF THE EAST
By Mabel Crittenden and Dorothy Telfer
PETERSON FIELD GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HERBS
By Steven Foster and James A. Duke
WILDFLOWERS AND FERNS OF INDIANA FORESTS
By Michael A. Homoya
MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE HEARTLAND
By Connie Kaye and Neil Billington
A FIELD GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS
By Arnold and Connie Krochmal
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
By Don Kurz
A GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS ON WINTER
By Carol Levine and Dick Rauh
NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS
By Daniel E Moerman
NEWCOMB’S WILDFLOWER GUIDE
By Lawrence Newcomb and Gordon Morrison
WILDFLOWERS
By Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny
BORN IN THE SPRING
By June Carver Roberts
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS (EASTERN REGION)
By John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead
WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA
By Frank D. Venning and Manabu C. Saito
EARTH MEDICINE EARTH FOOD
By Michael A. Weiner
en.wiki/Heuchera_americana
woodland/plants/wd_alumroot.htm
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