Scientific Name
Heuchera maxima Greene
Common Name(s)
Island Alum Root, Channel Islands Coral Bells, Jill of the Rocks
Scientific Classification
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Heuchera
Flower
Color: White or pink
Bloom Time: Spring
Description
Heuchera maxima is a rhizomatous perennial growing a broad patch of large, up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide, rounded, multilobed, dark green leaves with long petioles and a fringe of hairs along the edges.
It grows up to 3 feet (90 cm) tall and produces an erect, up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall inflorescence with many clusters of hairy, glandular flowers. Each flower is rounded with fleshy white or pink lobes and tiny petals curling away from the center. The protruding stamens are tipped with large anthers.
How to Grow and Care
They are generally considered easy to grow and require little routine maintenance. Deadhead the spent flower spikes as needed to encourage continuous flowering or repeat bloom. Mulching during the summer months will help keep the soil moist and prevent injury to the shallow root system from heat. 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 mainly do not perform well in areas with poor drainage during winter. 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; generally, the darker the purple coloration, the more exposure to the 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
Heuchera maxima is endemic to the four northern Channel Islands of California, within Channel Islands National Park. It grows on canyon cliffs in coastal sage scrub habitats.
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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