#heuchera

A cultivar of the species, which is AKA Coral Bells, because of the deep pink flowers.

The wild plant is native to warm dry canyons from Arizona to northern Mexico, but has been cultivated and hybridised extensively for the garden.

The genus, known as Alumroots, was named by Linnaeus after Johann Heinrich von Heucher, a noted German botanist and medical expert. The common name comes from the intensely astringent taste.

There are some 37 species in the genus, although the number is approximate because they intergrade into each other, and hybridise enthusiastically. All but one are endemic to North America.

Indigenous peoples had a range of uses for the plants - the Tlingit used H. glabra for inflammation of the testicles caused by syphilis. The Navajo considered H. novamexicana a panacea and pain reliever. And the roots of H. cylindrica had a variety of uses among the Blackfoot, Flathead, Kutenai, Okanagan, Colville, and Shuswap peoples.

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 30 September 2025

The purple foliage of Heuchera villosa 'Palace Purple' (coral bells, alum root) grows well in a fertile, moist but well-drained, soil in sun or partial shade.

I think the worst thing was working in the garden until 9 o’clock or later. And then realising that if we wanted supper we would now have to pick, de-slug, wash and cook veggies. Almost as bad as trying to grow them. I think Charles got really tired and fed up, trying to keep it all looking good. So what to do with Veg Plot? Anne needed more inspiration. It needed to be something that looked good…