XHeuchera hallii - Hall's AlumrootX
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Hall's Alumroot (Heuchera hallii) family Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage)
This species of Heuchera is less Sighted than many of the more common wildflowers. It is extremely interesting in it's properties. We found it in the book COLORADO'S BEST WILDFLOWER HIKES by Pam and David Irwin (rather than any of our reference books on wildflower identification). True to the description in their book, our specimen was nestled in the crooks of granite on a hillside going to the summit of Mt. Evans. It is said to be abundant on the upper reaches of the Mount Herman trail, which we look forward to exploring.
USES:
Alumroot was favored by Native Americans for use as an eyewash and for curing sores - human and horse.
FunFact: The most interesting application of the plant is one used for stealth. The juices of plants in the alumroot genus can be made into invisible ink! The following is quoted from Pam and David Irwin's book: 'Seventeenth century Britons wrote about Heuchera's application in "secret writing". By smashing alumroot in a small amount of water, the liquid becomes invisible ink. Coorespondents pen letters to be read only when held under running water.' End quote. Our encounter with Heuchera hallii was prior to learning of the invisible ink qualities of the plants juice. If only we knew. We may have harvested some to try, just for fun.
The genus hosts about 200 species and they all are native to North America. The appearance of heuchera can vary greatly from one to the next and grow in a variety of conditions.
See the other members of the Saxifrage family - Spotted Saxifrage - Small-flowered Prairie Star - Snowball Saxifrage - Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus - Side-flowered Mitrewort - Rusty Saxifrage - Brooke Saxifrage - - found at:
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Plant location: Mt. Evans Colorado, July 20, 2008.Plant -
Bloom season: June through early August. Habitat - montane regions.Foliage -
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