Heuchera diversifolia
| Heuchera diversifolia | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Heuchera diversifolia (common name: alum root)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually fairly rapid. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
The seed can also be sown in the middle of spring in an outdoor seedbed and planted out in early summer.
Alternatively, you can sow the seed in an outdoor seedbed in the middle of summer for planting out in the following spring.
Division in March or October[1][2]. It is best to divide the plants in August or early September, making sure that the woody roots are planted quite deeply with only the crown of foliage above the ground[3].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any good sweet garden soil that does not dry out in spring[1]. Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade[1][2]. Prefers a well-drained fairly rich and not too heavy soil[2].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[4].
Apt to hybridize with other members of this genus[2].
This species is probably best treated as a sub-species of H. micrantha.
Range: Western N. America - British Columbia to California
Habitat: Moist banks of humus and rocks in woodland below 600 metres, from British Columbia to California. Gravelly banks and rock crevices from low elevations to the sub-alpine zone[5].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked. Not very palatable[6].
Medicinal: The root is antiphlogistic, antiseptic, astringent, febrifuge and ophthalmic[7][6].
Usage: The root can be used as an alum substitute, this is a mordant used in fixing dyes[8][6]. The root is rich in tannin, is this the active ingredient that acts as a mordant?[6].
A good ground cover plant for the woodland garden[9]. Plants should be spaced about 30cm apart each way[10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Heuchera micrantha diversifolia. (Rydb.)Rossend.Butters.&Lakela.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Livingstone, B. Flora of Canada. National Museums of Canada, 1978.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.