Scientific Name
Heuchera americana L.
Common Name(s)
American Alumroot
Synonym(s)
Heuchera calycosa, Heuchera cortusa, Heuchera curtisii, Heuchera lancipetala, Heuchera lucida, Heuchera portula, Heuchera scapifera, Heuchera viscida
Scientific Classification
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Heuchera
Flower
Color: Insignificant green to cream
Bloom Time: Late spring or early summer
Description
Heuchera americana is a small evergreen perennial with lobed, semi-palmate, green, purple, or brown leaves that may or may not be veined or marbled. It grows up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide. Loose, up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall racemes of insignificant green to cream flowers bloom in late spring or early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 4a to 9b: from −30 °F (−34.4 °C) to 30 °F (−1.1 °C).
How to Grow and Care
These plants are generally considered easy to grow and require little routine maintenance. To encourage continuous flowering or repeat bloom, deadhead the spent flower spikes as needed. The molding will help keep the soil moist and prevent injury to the shallow root system from heat during the summer months. Coral Bells can be divided every 3 to 4 years if they lose vigor or when the crown gets too large.
Coral Bells prefer to be planted in locations with fertile, moist, well-drained soil. They particularly do not perform well in locations with poor drainage during the winter months. Most Heuchera cultivars will grow more vigorously and have the best leaf coloration when planted in locations with partial shade, particularly in the afternoon. Purple-leafed cultivars can tolerate more direct sun; in general, the darker the purple coloration, the more exposure to sun they can tolerate. Conversely, the amber and gold-leafed cultivars are less sun-tolerant; the more yellow the leaf coloration, the less tolerant to the sun they are. Most cultivars will usually survive in locations with full sun or full shade, but they will be smaller and not look as lively.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Coral Bells.
Origin
This species is native to eastern and central North America.
Links
- Back to genus Heuchera
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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