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Heuchera parviflora

Bartl.

Grotto Alumroot

G4Apparently Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1353365
Element CodePDSAX0E1M0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilySaxifragaceae
GenusHeuchera
Concept Reference
Pantinople, D.J., Engle-Wrye, N.J., and R. A. Folk. 2024. Heuchera tuckasegeensis sp. nov.(Saxifragaceae), a new species from western North Carolina. Systematic Botany 49(1): 37-47.
Taxonomic Comments
This record represents the narrow concept of Heuchera parviflora not including H. puberula following Pantinople et al. (2024), Folk & Freudenstein (2015), and Weakley (2025). In contrast, Kartesz (1994) and FNA (vol. 8, 2009) treated H. parviflora in a broad sense with H. parviflora var. puberula as a variety.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-05-16
Change Date2025-05-16
Edition Date2025-05-16
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Heuchera parviflora is a perennial herb in shaded, rocky habitats that is endemic to the southeastern United States where it occurs from West Virginia and southern Ohio south through eastern Kentucky, western Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northern Georgia. There are estimated to be over 100 occurrences, which potentially face threats from development, mining, logging, and recreational activities. Monitoring of populations should be conducted to improve our understanding of reproduction, plant abundance, threats, and trends, as well as continuing conservation measures to protect the taxon.
Range Extent Comments
Heuchera parviflora is endemic to the southeastern United States where it occurs from West Virginia and southern Ohio south through eastern Kentucky, western Virginia, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northern Georgia (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 170,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 100 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this taxon is potentially threatened by development, mining, logging, recreational activities, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Heuchera parviflora grows in "shaded cliff bases, usually under overhangs, on grotto floors, behind waterfalls where humidity is high but not in the spray zone, in rockhouses..., nearly always in deeply shaded situations where little or no direct sunlight falls.... In deeply shaded sites, it is often the only vascular plant present" (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
OhioS3Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
VirginiaS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
References (10)
  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 J.V. Freudenstein. 2015. "Sky islands" in the eastern U.S.A.? - Strong phylogenetic structure in the Heuchera parviflora group (Saxifragaceae). Taxon 64(2): 254-271.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  4. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  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. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Pantinople, D.J., Engle-Wrye, N.J., and R. A. Folk. 2024. <i>Heuchera tuckasegeensis</i> sp. nov.(Saxifragaceae), a new species from western North Carolina. Systematic Botany 49(1): 37-47.
  8. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).