Common name: Coral Bells, Alum Root, Crimson Bells
Family: Saxifragaceae, Saxifrage
Height x width:12-30" x 12-18"
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: basal and evergreen usually, reniform to ovate or orbicular, 1"-3" wide; lobed, wavy, dentate or ruffled margins; often pubescent on hairy petioles, green to dark purple, sometimes partly to mostly veined silver
Flowers: ¼-½" long bell-shaped, in cymose panicles on stems 10-20" tall; shades of red, white or pink from sepals; usually less showy than foliage; early to mid summer
Hardiness: zones 3-8
Soil: well-drained, organic
Light: part shade, tolerates sun in north if sufficient moisture
Pests and problems: leaf spots, powdery mildew, leaf and stem smut, stem rot, strawberry root weevil, mealybug, foliar nematode
Landscape habit, uses: woodland and shade gardens or borders, cut flowers, bees and hummingbirds (especially red-flowered cultivars)
Other interest: native to the Rocky Mountains (sanguinea) or eastern U.S. (americana); named for an 18th century German botanist J.H. von Heucher; similar to Tiarella only with 5 stamens in flowers rather than 10 for the latter, and showy parts usually sepals not petals as in latter; some intergeneric hybrids under x Heucherella; much breeding among this genus especially recently.
Other culture: plants easily frost heave as they are shallow-rooted, to avoid plant crowns 1" below soil surface and mulch; remove spend flower stalks for prolonged bloom and aesthetics; avoid heavy clay soils or soils with very acidic pH; many cultivars perform better in the north than the south, being intolerant of excessive heat and humidity
Propagation: division when plant center becomes woody (every 3 years or so), leaf cuttings in late fall of leaves and short petiole segment in sand, seeds (500,000 seeds per ounce) sown in spring for following year flowering, tissue culture (mainly of new varieties)
Species:
americana (ah-mer-i-caa' nah)--American Alumroot, zones 4-9, 18-36", greenish white flowers; ornamental large leaves 4-6" across, rounded to heart-shaped, purple mottled foliage
x brizoides (bri-zoy' dees)--zones 4-9, 24-30", named for thin stems resembling Quaking Grass (Briza), many small flowers and rounded, lobed and green foliage; grown more for flowers than foliage
micrantha (mii-cran' thah)--Small-flowered Alumroot, zones 4-7, 12-24", yellowish white flowers in late spring; mainly grown for ornamental leaves, a west coast native performing best there
rubescens (rue-bess' cens)--Alpine Heuchera, zones 3-7, 4-6", pink flowers in spring, native to rocky slopes of California and Arizona, plants don't tolerate heat or humidity
sanguinea (san-gwen' ee-ah)--Alum Root, zones 3-8, 12-18", red flowers in early summer, native to New Mexico and Arizona, heart-shaped or rounded basal foliage mainly green is less ornamental than the flowers, much used for hybrids
villosa (vill-o' sah)--Hairy Alumroot, zones 5-9, 1-3', white
flowers in summer, native to the southeastern U.S., hairy leaves to 5"
across and lobed; tolerates heat and humidity in shade; var. macrorrhiza
has pale green leaves.
Cultivars:
Most hybrids are combinations of sanguinea, americana and
micrantha with exact parentage confused and unclear. Unless a species
is listed below, hybrids are of either micrantha and americana
(mxa) with ornamental foliage, of sanguinea and x brizoides
(sxb) with ornamental flowers, or of rubescens and versicolor
(rxv).
| Cultivars | hybrid | flowers | foliage (species) | |
| 'Alba' | creamy white | sanguinea | ||
| 'Amethyst Myst' | mxa | amethyst | ||
| 'Apple Blossom' | sxb | white, red rims | ||
| 'Autumn Bride' | white | deep green, villosa | ||
| 'Bartram' | mxa | dark green, red veins, silver blotches | ||
| 'Brandon Pink' | sxb | coral red, bright | ||
| 'Bressingham Bronze' | mxa | deep purple, crinkled, from Palace Purple | ||
| 'Bressingham Hybrids' | sxb | coral, red, pink | ||
| 'Burgundy Frost' | mxa | purple lavender, silver between veins | ||
| 'Can-can' | mxa | ruffled, silver veins | ||
| 'Canyon Delight' | sxb | rose-red | ||
| 'Cappuccino' | mxa | light bronze | ||
| 'Carmen' | sxb | deep pink | dark green | |
| 'Carousel' | mxa | rosy red | rounded, silver tinted deep green | |
| 'Cascade Dawn' | mxa | purple-silver, dark veins | ||
| 'Cathedral Windows' | mxa | dark, dark gray veins | ||
| 'Chartreuse' | sxb | light green | ||
| 'Chatterbox' | sxb | pink, large | ||
| 'Checkers' | mxa | white, large | thick green | |
| 'Cherry Splash' | sxb | cherry red | ||
| 'Chocolate Ruffles' | mxa | purple stems | intense purple, deeply cut and ruffled | |
| 'Chocolate Veil' | mxa | purple, silver between veins | ||
| 'Coltus Bay Beauty' | sxb | pink | purple veined | |
| 'Constance' | rxv | coral pink | ||
| 'Coral Cloud' | sxb | coral red | ||
| 'Crimson Cloud' | sxb | crimson | green with silver veins | |
| 'Dale's Selection' | mxa | purplish mottled white, red and silver | ||
| 'Eco-magnifolia' | mxa | silvery, green veins and edge | ||
| 'Eco-improved' | mxa | more silver, larger than Eco-magnifolia | ||
| 'Edgehall' | sxb | dull pink | ||
| 'Emerald Veil' | mxa | silvery, green edge and veins | ||
| 'Fairy Cups' | sxb | cherry red | cupped | |
| 'Firebird' | sxb | bright scarlet | compact habit | |
| 'Firefly' | sxb | wine red | ||
| 'Fire Sprite' | sxb | rose red | ||
| 'Freedom' | sxb | soft pink | marbled | |
| 'Frosty' | sxb | dark red | white splashed | |
| 'Gaiety' | sxb | pink, many | ||
| 'Garnet' | mxa | purple center to purplish leaves | ||
| 'Greenfinch' | green-white | cylindrica | ||
| 'Green Ivory' | green-white | cylindrica | ||
| 'Green Marble' | green-white | cylindrica, light green marbled | ||
| 'Huntsman' | sxb | rosy pink | ||
| 'Hyperion' | pink | cylindrica | ||
| 'Jack Frost' | sxb | rose | silvery | |
| 'June Bride' | sxb | white, pink tint | ||
| 'Leuchtkafer' | sxb | scarlet, dark | ('Glow-worm') | |
| 'Matin Bells' | sxb | coral red | ||
| 'Maxima' | burgundy | sanguinea | ||
| 'Mayfair' | rxv | pink | ||
| 'Mint Julep' | mxa | green, bright silver veins | ||
| 'Molly Bush' | mxa | darker more consistent Palace Purple selection | ||
| 'Montrose Ruby' | mxa | ruby, large, smooth | ||
| 'Mt. St. Helens' | sxb | brick red | ||
| 'Oakington Jewel' | sxb | crimson red | ||
| 'Palace Passion' | mxa | coral pink | deep purple, silver markings | |
| 'Palace Purple' | mxa | purple fading bronze in heat, PPA, variable | ||
| 'Pearl Drops' | sxb | pearl white | ||
| 'Persian Carpet' | mxa | silver, green-purple veins | ||
| 'Pewter Moon' | mxa | light pink | silvery, pewter veins, purplish beneath | |
| 'Pewter Veil' | mxa | pewter purple, silver netting | ||
| 'Pink Cloud' | sxb | pink | ||
| 'Pluie de Feu' | sxb | cherry red | ('Rain of Fire', 'Feuerregen') | |
| 'Plum Puddin' | mxa | deep burgundy, shiny, compact habit | ||
| 'Pretty Polly' | sxb | pale pink | ||
| 'Pruhoniciana' | sxb | red, white | ||
| 'Purple Petticoats' | mxa | dark, ruffled, purple above, burgundy below | ||
| 'Purple Ruffles' | mxa | white, small | purple ruffled | |
| 'Purple Sails' | mxa | dark purple, wavy, maple-shaped | ||
| 'Purpurea' | white | purple, hairy, villosa | ||
| 'Queen of Hearts' | sxb | bright red | ||
| 'Rakete' | sxb | wine red | dark green | |
| 'Raspberry Regal' | sxb | raspberry, tall | ||
| 'Red Spangles' | sxb | bright scarlet | ||
| 'Regal Robe' | mxa | purple, silver mottled | ||
| 'Ring of Fire' | mxa | silver, dark purple veins | ||
| 'Ruby Ruffles' | mxa | ruby-red, some silver, ruffled | ||
| 'Ruby Veil' | mxa | ruby purple, silvery netting | ||
| 'Ruffles' | mxa | white, small | green, ruffled | |
| 'Scintillation' | sxb | red, pink rim | ||
| 'Silver Rain' | sxb | white, many | ('Silberregen') | |
| 'Silver Shadows' | mxa | silvery, thick | ||
| 'Silver Veil' | mxa | cherry rose | purplish, silver netting | |
| 'Sioux Falls' | sxb | bright red, tall | ||
| 'Snow Angel' | sxb | pink | green, creamy mottled | |
| 'Snowflake' | sxb | white | ||
| 'Snowstorm' | sxb | cherry red | white margins | |
| 'Splendens' | rich red | sanguinea | ||
| 'Splendour' | sxb | salmon scarlet | ||
| 'Splish Splash' | sxb | pink | white centers, green margins | |
| 'Sterling Silver' | mxa | silver, blue and purple veins | ||
| 'Stormy Seas' | mxa | dark, ruffled, cut margins | ||
| 'Strawberry Swirl' | sxb | coral pink, tall | ruffled, silvery patterns | |
| 'Tattletale' | sxb | pink | ||
| 'Torch' | sxb | scarlet, tall | ||
| 'Velvet Night' | mxa | plum-black, metallic silver veins | ||
| 'Violet Knight' | mxa | silvery, deep purple veins | ||
| 'Whirlwind' | mxa | white | bronze-green, crested and fluted | |
| 'White Cloud' | sxb | white, small, tall | ||
| 'White Marble' | white, | marbled white, soft hairy, pubescens? | ||
| 'White Spires' | sxb | white | light green | |
| 'Widar' | dark red | x brizoides | ||
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
Return to Perry's
Perennial Pages | HGPO
course | PSS123 course