Heuchera rubescens var. versicolor

FLOWERS: Petioles usually more or less densely hirsute; portion of hypanthium fused to ovary usually about as long or longer than wide in flower; styles smooth. NOTES: See also parent taxon. Dry rocky areas: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Mohave, Pima, Santa Cruz, Yavapai cos.; 1200-3650 m (4000-12000 ft); May-Sep; CA, NM, TX; n Mex. REFERENCES: Elvander, Patrick. 1992. Saxifragaceae. Ariz.-Nev. Acad. Sci. 26(1)2.

JANAS 26(1), Kearney and Peebles 1969

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Perennial herbs arising from a large, woody, scaly caudex. Leaves: Spiral, nearly all basal, orbicular to broadly ovate, with dentate margins and cordate bases, borne on long petioles, petioles villous or hirsute with long hairs, rarely puberulent. Flowers: Slightly irregular, petals small, borne on scapose stems in narrow racemes or cymose panicles, with a well developed hypanthium, a portion of the hypanthium fused to the ovary that is about as long or longer than wide when in flower, filaments wide and flattened at the base, stamens inserted below the petals. Fruits: Formed of 2 divergent, beaked follicles, these with many seeds. Ecology: Found in moist areas in shaded rocks among conifers, from 6,500-12,000 ft (1981-3658 m); flowering May-October. Notes: The fruits are similar to those found in larkspur, magnolia, peony, and milkweed. The hirsute petioles are a good key to this species, as well as the portion of the ovary fused to the hypanthium. Ethnobotany: This species was used for many medicinal purposes, including for fever, diarrhea, venereal disease, liver trouble, as an astringent, eyewash, for colic, and for animal care. Etymology: Heuchera is named for Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747), while rubescens means becoming red or reddish, and versicolor means variously colored. Synonyms: None Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011