Heuchera chlorantha

Habit: an herbaceous perennial with thick rhizomes, tall flowering stalks and distinct brown, hairy stems. Meadow alum-root has heart-shaped leaves, with 7-9 deeply rounded lobes and serrated margins. All leaves are basal and long-stalked; the venation patterns and dense fine hairs on the underside of the blades help to distinguish this species from other alum-roots. The inflorescence stalk grows to 40 inches in height and bears a long, narrow panicle. Flowers have small, inconspicuous white petals and bright green, glandular calyxes.

Ecology: this species inhabits moist, grassy bluffs, rocky slopes and forest edges, from low to mid elevations. It is found from British Columbia, and south through western Washington and Oregon, to just over the border of northwestern California. A few isolated communities occur in eastern Oregon and Idaho.

Growing conditions: it enjoys part shade or dappled light, and rocky, well-drained, moist to dry soils. This is an attractive plant for a rock garden, stony slope or gravelly spot along a pathway. It looks great in companion of douglas iris, snow berries, gooseberries and ferns.