// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

American Alumroot

Heuchera americana

American alumroot is the wild parent of garden Heucheras — evergreen rosettes of marbled lobed leaves form weed-suppressing groundcover under trees, topped in late spring by airy 18-inch spikes of tiny green-white bells. Native woodland anchor for shade gardens.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Saxifragaceae
Group: perennial
Native range: E. North America incl. eastern OK rocky woods
USDA hardiness: Zones 4–9
Mature size: 12–24 in
Sun: Part to full shade
Water: Medium · woodland
Wildlife value: Hummingbird and small native bee nectar
Ecological role: shaded foliage · airy bloom spikes · woodland understory

American Alumroot (Heuchera americana) — *Heuchera americana*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: shaded foliage · airy bloom spikes · woodland understory. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a shaded woodland understory, american alumroot pairs naturally with: american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Combine american alumroot with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Photo Reference

// Heuchera americana — American alumroot
Photo: swagner23 (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)