Heuchera eastwoodiae

Herbs acaulescent; caudex unbranched. Flowering stems 30-50 cm, short or long stipitate-glandular. Leaves: petiole nearly glabrous or short to long stipitate-glandular; blade (purple abaxially, variegated adaxially), orbiculate-cordate, shallowly 5-lobed, 2.5-8.5 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex short-apiculate, surfaces short to long stipitate-glandular abaxially, short stipitate-glandular or sparsely long stipitate-glandular adaxially. Inflorescences dense. Flowers: hypanthium weakly bilaterally symmetric, free 1.5-2 mm, cream or greenish, broadly turbinate or campanulate, 3-4.5 mm, short or sparsely medium stipitate-glandular; sepals 6, incurved at apex, red-tipped, equal, 1-1.5 mm, apex acute; petals absent or (1-)6 and much reduced, erect, greenish, lanceolate, unlobed, 1 mm, margins entire; stamens 6, included 1 mm; styles included 1.5 mm, to 1 mm, 0.1+ mm diam. Capsules ovoid, 5-7 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. Seeds dark brown, asymmetrically ellipsoid or convex-fusiform, 0.6 mm.

Flowering May-Aug. Shaded, rocky slopes; 1500-1900 m; Ariz.

Heuchera eastwoodiae occurs in central Arizona and is unique in the genus for its hexamerous flowers.

Plant: Perennial herb Leaves: blades 1.5-1.7 cm long, circular to broadly cordate, the margins shallowly 7-10 lobed, the lobes crenate; petioles somewhat glandular pubescent, 4-18 cm long INFLORESCENCE: contracted elongate panicles, almost racemose above, 45-75 cm tall Flowers: 3-7 mm long, yellow-cream, with short glandular hairs; portion of hypanthium fused to ovary 1-2.5 mm long, more or less ovoid, shorter than free part; sepals 6, equal, broadly ovate, more or less erect, sometimes green or pink-tipped; petals absent or 6, minute and linear, if present; stamens 6, shorter than sepals; mature styles shorter than sepals Fruit: FRUITS 2-valved; SEEDS smooth to ridged Misc: Rocky slopes and cliffs; 1350-2300 m (4500-7500 ft; Apr-Jun Notes: RHIZOMES somewhat woody, scaly, without bulblets REFERENCES: Elvander, Patrick. 1992. Saxifragaceae. Ariz.-Nev. Acad. Sci. 26(1)2.