Heuchera micrantha

Alum root

Family: Saxifragaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Alum root is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central western California (excluding the southern Coast Ranges) in moist, rocky banks and cliffs at elevations below 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small white to pinkish flowers in an open, glandular inflorescence with delicate branching. Growing 10 to 100 centimeters tall with glandular stems, it forms an upright clump with distinctive foliage. Its leaves are broadly ovate, 2 to 12 centimeters wide, deeply 5 to 7-lobed, and generally hairy with petioles ranging from 3 to 30 centimeters long. The flower clusters feature tiny oblanceolate petals with green to red calyx tips, creating a delicate and intricate appearance.

Habitat: Moist, rocky banks and cliffs

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 2500 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SNH, CW (exc SCoRI)

California counties: Humboldt, Sierra, Fresno, Siskiyou, Nevada, Tulare, Butte, Mendocino, Marin, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, El Dorado, Placer, Glenn, Sonoma, Kern, Mariposa, Plumas, Trinity, Contra Costa, Alameda, Tehama, San Luis Obispo, Del Norte, Santa Barbara, Mono, San Francisco, Napa, Shasta, Tuolumne, Madera, Santa Clara, Calaveras

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.