Heuchera brevistaminea Wiggins
Family: Saxifragaceae
Laguna Mountain Alumroot
Heuchera brevistaminea image

Herbs acaulescent; caudex branched. Flowering stems 20-30 cm, sparsely long stipitate-glandular. Leaves: petiole sparsely short to long stipitate-glandular; blade orbiculate or reniform, shallowly 5-lobed, 1.5-4 cm, base shallowly cordate, lobes rounded, margins dentate, apex obtuse, surfaces sparsely long stipitate-glandular on veins abaxially, glabrous or long stipitate-glandular adaxially. Inflorescenses moderately diffuse. Flowers: hypanthium weakly bilaterally symmetric, free 1.5-2.2 mm on adaxial side, deep rose-purple, cylindric, 4-5 mm, short stipitate-glandular proximally, long stipitate-glandular distally; sepals spreading, green- and darker red-tipped, equal, 1.3-1.4 mm, apex rounded; petals spreading, white, broadly oblanceolate, unlobed, 4-5 mm (much longer than sepals), margins entire; stamens included 1 mm; styles included 1-2 mm, 1.5 mm, 0.1+ mm diam. Capsules ovoid, 3 mm, beaks divergent, not papillose. Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, ca. 0.7 mm.

Flowering Jul-Sep. Rocky slopes in montane chaparral, yellow pine forests; of conservation concern; 1500-1900 m; Calif.

Heuchera brevistaminea occurs in the Laguna Mountains, San Diego County. It closely resembles H. abramsii, H. caespitosa, H. elegans, and H. pulchella.