Heuchera richardsonii (Prairie alum-root)

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Heuchera richardsonii R. Br.

Prairie alum-root

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Saxifragaceae	Saxifrage family; means “stone-breaking”
Genus	Heuchera	Named for 18th century German physician Johann Heinrich von Heucher
Species	richardsonii	Honors Sir John Richardson (1787-1865), a Scottish naturalist, meteorologist, doctor, cartographer and Arctic explorer

About plant names...

Prairie alum-root is a North American native. The genus, Heuchera,, pronounced HOY-ker-uh, honors German botanist Johann Heinrich von Heucher. The species, richardsonii, honors its discoverer, Sir John Richardson. "Alum-root" refers to the root's astringent properties—it contains compounds that can reduce the flow of blood from a cut.

Identification: Plants take the form of a basal rosette—a set of leaves emerging from a central point near the ground. The leaves are slightly lobed into 7-9 palmate sections, with rough irregular edges, up to 3-5″ (7.6-12 cm) around. Each leaf is atop its own hairy stem. Leafless flower-bearing stems grow to a height of 2-4′ (60-121 cm). They are topped with inconspicuous green or greenish-white flowers, each about 1/8" long. Flowers appear from June to July.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Minnesota Wildflowers

EFloras