E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia Douglas ex Lindl. (Rydb.) Rosend., Butters & Lakela
small-flowered alumroot (crevice alumroot)
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Hans Roemer  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #10675)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



General:
Perennial herb from well-developed, horizontal to ascending rhizomes, clothed with old, brown leaf-bases and stipules; stems 1 to several, erect, 15-60 cm tall, long soft-hairy below, strongly glandular-hairy in the inflorescence.
Leaves:
Basal leaves kidney- to heart-egg-shaped, 3-8 cm wide, either shorter than wide with 5 to 7 rounded, shallow lobes, or longer than wide with pointy lobes cleft 1/3 their length, stiff-hairy below, sometimes also above, stalked, the stalks long, sparsely to densely hairy or rarely smooth; stem leaves 1 or 2, greatly reduced, the upper bract-like; stipules membranous, fused to the leaf-stalks.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open, many-flowered cluster, the branches and flower-stalks thread-like, the bracts linear; petals white, 5, 2- to 4-times longer than sepals, clawed, the claws slender, blades diamond- to spoon-shaped; calyces greenish-yellow, bell-shaped, long-soft-hairy, joined to ovary almost to top, the free hypanthium about 0.5 mm long; calyx lobes 5, oblong-egg-shaped, about 2/3 length of lower portion; stamens 5, longer than calyx lobes.
Fruits:
Capsules, 5-6 mm long, egg-shaped, opening along the beaks; seeds deep brownish-purple, 0.6-0.7 mm long, with lengthwise rows of 25-30 spines.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to dry streambanks, rock crevices and talus slopes from the lowland to subalpine zones; infrequent in NW BC, frequent on Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland; S to WA and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 545 545 545
Slope Gradient (%) 0 0 0
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
5 5 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
E
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
2
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: IDF(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Heuchera diversifolia Rydb.
Heuchera micrantha var. pacifica Rosend., Butters & Lakela

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References