Coral Bells Heuchera americana
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Coral Bells:
Previously known as:
- Heuchera americana var. americana
- Heuchera americana var. hirsuticaulis
- Heuchera americana var. hispida
- Phonetic Spelling
- HEW-ker-ah a-mer-ih-KAY-nah
- Description
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Heuchera americana is a small, mounding evergreen with attractive foliage that has been used as a component of modern hybrids to lend hardiness, vigor, and color. It does best in moist rich woods in shade to part sun. In nature, it can be found growing in rocky forests and rock outcrops, particularly where soils are acidic. The alum root has fibrous roots and a mounded rosette of attractive foliage highlighted with colorful veins or marbling. The leaves emerge in a dense spiral from a short central crown and can be green or variegated in shades of purple, bronze or cream. Flower panicles emerge in the spring on leafless stalks above the foliage. The individual tiny flowers are bell-shaped with extended stamens and are greenish or creamy with a pinkish tint.
Clumps should be divided every 3 to 4 years in spring or fall.
Several similar Heuchera subspecies are difficult to distinguish from one another.
The genus name Heuchera is in honor of the 18th-century German physician, botanist, and medicinal plant expert Johann von Heucher. Cultivars are available; difficult to find the straight species in the trade.
This plant was selected as the 1999 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Learn more about Heuchera spp.
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Courtyard Garden Collector’s Garden
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Heuchera
- Species:
- americana
- Family:
- Saxifragaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Roots contain the mineral substance alum which is a powerful astringent.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario
- Wildlife Value:
- Members of the genus Heuchera support the following specialized bee: Colletes aestivalis. The foliage is high in tannins, giving it a bitter taste and making it unappetizing to deer. Bees and other pollinating insects enjoy the nectar from the flowers.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Colorful
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- In North Carolina, the fruits are available from May to September.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Orange
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowering stalk is 1-2 ft. and almost leafless. Small greenish-purple bell-shaped flowers droop from short branching stems. The stamens are tipped with orange anthers. In North Carolina, the cream-colored flowers are available from April to August.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Orbicular
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Each leaf has a long stalk and grows from the base of the plant; 7 to 9 shallowly lobed, toothed and heart-shaped leaves; 3-4 in. wide
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rock Garden
- Shade Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Rabbits
