Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. Flowering stems 20-40 cm, short and sometimes long stipitate-glandular. Leaves: petiole long stipitate-glandular; blade reniform to orbiculate, shallowly 5-7-lobed, 2-5.5 cm, base cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces long stipitate-glandular on veins abaxially, glabrous or sparsely long stipitate-glandular adaxially. Inflorescences moderately dense to diffuse. Flowers: hypanthium weakly bilaterally to radially symmetric, free 2.5-2.8 mm, dark pink to red, broadly campanulate or urceolate, 4-8 mm, short stipitate-glandular proximally, sparsely long stipitate-glandular distally; sepals spreading, darker red-tipped, equal, 2-3 mm, apex oblong or rounded; petals spreading, pink or cream, narrowly oblanceolate, unlobed, 1.2-1.8 mm (shorter than sepals), margins entire; stamens included 1.5-3 mm; styles included 1.5-3 mm, 1.5-2 mm, 0.1+ mm diam. Capsules ovoid, 4.5-6 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.5-0.6 mm, bluntly spiny.

Flowering Mar-Oct. Moist, shaded rocks; 1200-2600 m; Ariz., N.Mex.; Mexico (Chihuahua).

Heuchera sanguinea occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Chihuahua, Mexico, and is widely cultivated throughout the cooler parts of North America.

Heuchera sanguinea varies considerably within populations in shape, lobing, and size of leaves, in amount of hairs, and in shape, form, and color of flowers. Rydberg recognized var. pulchra as characterized by denser inflorescences and longer hairs on its pedicels, inferior part of the ovary, and sepals. Mixed populations with individuals bearing longer and shorter hairs can be found throughout the range of the species, especially in Arizona. It seems best to recognize H. sanguinea as a variable species without infraspecific taxa.

Plant: Perennial herb

Leaves: blades 1-7 cm long, ovate, moderately 7-10 lobed, the lobes dentate and aristate; petioles pubescent, 1.5-20 cm long

INFLORESCENCE: open, cylindrical to pyramidal panicles with 0 to 2 leaf-like bracts below, 20-60 cm tall

Flowers: 4-12 mm long, bright pink to deep red, glandular hairy; portion of hypanthium fused to ovary 1-3 mm long, pyramidal, shorter than free part; sepals 1-4 mm long, equal, ovate-oblong, erect; petals 0.5-3.5 mm long, shorter than sepals, oblanceolate, white to pink; stamens shorter than sepals; mature styles shorter than sepals

Fruit: FRUITS 2-valved; SEEDS smooth to ridged

Misc: Rocky canyon walls and outcrops to moist rocky banks; 1050-2900 m (3500-9500 ft); Mar-Oct

REFERENCES: Elvander, Patrick. 1992. Saxifragaceae. Ariz.-Nev. Acad. Sci. 26(1)2.

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Perennial from woody rhizomes, scapose stems 20-40 cm tall.

Leaves: Basal, blades 1-7 cm long, ovate, moderately 7-10 lobed, lobes rounded ciliate with bristle tipped teeth, glabrous on upper surface, hirsute on veins below; petioles pubescent, 1.5-50 cm long.

Flowers: Inflorescence open, cylindrical to pyramidal panicle with 0-2 leaf-like bracts, 20-60 cm tall; flowers 4-12 mm long, bright pink to deep red, glandular hairy, 5-merous; hypanthium funnelform to urceolate, 1-3 mm long, pyramidal; sepals 1-4 mm long, equal, ovate-oblong, erect; petals, 0.5-3.5 mm long, oblanceolate, white to pink; stamens shorter than sepals.

Fruits: Two valved capsule.

Ecology: Found on rocky canyon walls and outcrops to moist rocky areas from 3,500-9,500 ft (1067-2896 m); flowers March-October.

Notes: This plant is distinctive in its cliffside and rocky habitat, often in a narrow cleft on rock faces, especially notable are its red flowers with are distinctively 5-merous and with its ovate leaf blades.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Etymology: Heuchera is named for Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747), professor of medicine and botanist at Wittenberg, Germany, while sanguinea means blood red.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010