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Home/Species/ Downy Alumroot

Heuchera pubescens

Pursh

Downy Alumroot

G4Apparently Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147795
Element CodePDSAX0E0X0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilySaxifragaceae
GenusHeuchera
Other Common Names
downy alumroot (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-10-24
Change Date2024-10-28
Edition Date2024-10-24
Edition AuthorsNordman, C. (2024).
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Rank Reasons
Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens) occurs in eastern North America, it is endemic to the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, from Pennsylvania southwest to northwestern South Carolina. It is estimated there are about 80 or more occurrences, including on various conservation lands. It is considered to be uncommon (but not rare) throughout most of its Appalachian range, and rare in the Carolinas, and the Piedmont of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Quarrying and invasive exotic plants are likely threats.
Range Extent Comments
Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens) occurs in eastern North America, it is endemic to the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, from Pennsylvania southwest to northwestern South Carolina. Range extent was estimated to be about 114,000 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1983 and 2024 (FNA 2009, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, Schuette et al. 2018, SEINet 2024, Virginia Botanical Associates 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1983 and 2024, it is estimated that there are about 80 or perhaps as many as 300 occurrences of Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens) rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024, Virginia Botanical Associates 2024). It is considered to be uncommon (but not rare) throughout most of its Central Appalachian range, and rare in the Carolinas, and the Piedmont of Maryland and Pennsylvania (Virginia Botanical Associates 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Quarrying and invasive exotic plants likely threaten some occurrences of Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens). It occurs in rocky, sloping areas which may be unsuitable for residential development and forest management practices.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

There are many taxa of Alumroot in the eastern United States, refer to the key in a modern flora to identify plants in the field or herbarium. Heuchera pubescens has greenish or purplish-green petals, it is most similar to H. alba which has larger, white flowers, with exserted petals, and occurs on strongly acidic or subacidic substrates, such as quartzitic sandstone at higher elevations only in western Virginia, NE West Virginia, and at lower elevations in central Pennsylvania. In western Virginia, H. americana typically occurs at lower elevations than H. pubescens (FNA 2009, Folk and Freudenstein 2014, Virginia Botanical Associates 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).

Habitat

Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens) occurs in shaded subacidic or circumneutral rocky forests and rock outcrops, ledges, steep rocky slopes, and rocky road cuts. It occurs mostly on limestone, sandstone, or shale, and less commonly on greenstone or phyllite, at elevations of 100 - 1400 meters. In western Virginia, H. americana typically occurs at lower elevations, and H. alba at higher elevations than H. pubescens (FNA 2009, SEINet 2024, Virginia Botanical Associates 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).

Reproduction

Downy Alumroot (Heuchera pubescens) flowers May to June or July (FNA 2009, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024)
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
South CarolinaS1Yes
North CarolinaS1Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MarylandS3Yes
West VirginiaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesRestricted - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesRestricted - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Little AlleghanyGeorge Washington National Forest10,215
References (11)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
  2. Folk, R.A. and Freudenstein, J.V. 2014. Phylogenetic relationships and character evolution in <i>Heuchera </i>(Saxifragaceae) on the basis of multiple nuclear loci. American Journal of Botany 101(9): 1532-1550.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. LeGrand, H., B. Sorrie, and T. Howard. 2024. Vascular Plants of North Carolina [Internet]. Raleigh (NC): North Carolina Biodiversity Project and North Carolina State Parks. Available from https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/index.php. (accessed 2024).
  7. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Schuette, S., R.A. Folk, J.T. Cantley, and C.T. Martine. 2018. The hidden <i>Heuchera</i>: How science Twitter uncovered a globally imperiled species in Pennsylvania, USA. PhytoKeys 96: 87-97. Online. Available: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.96.23667
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  10. Virginia Botanical Associates. 2024. Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora. Virginia Botanical Associates, Blacksburg. Online. Available: <a href="http://www.vaplantatlas.org/">http://www.vaplantatlas.org</a> (accessed 2024).
  11. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.