Alum-Root
Heuchera Micrantha, Dougl. Saxifrage Family
Rootstock.—Stout. Leaves.—All radical; two to four inches long. Scapes.—Often two feet high. Flowers.—White; minute; in loose panicles. Calyx.—Five-toothed; one or two lines long. Petals.—Five; one line long; on the sinuses of the calyx. Stamens.—Five. Ovary.—One-celled. Styles two. Hab.—Coast Ranges and Sierras from Monterey to British Columbia.
Upon almost any drive or walk along a shaded road, we may find the alum-root hanging over a mossy bank. Its large, airy panicle is composed of minute flowers, and appears in early summer. But it is more conspicuous for its exquisite foliage than for its flowers. The leaves are usually mottled in light green and richly veined in dark brown or red, and they often turn to a rich red later in the season.
The root is woody and astringent, to which latter fact the plant owes its English name, which it shares with the other members of the genus. These are very satisfactory plants to bring in from the woods, because they remain beautiful in water for many weeks.
ALUM-ROOT—Heuchera micrantha.