woodland wildflower

American alumroot

Heuchera americana

Also known as Alumroot

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Connecticut to Ontario and Michigan, south to Georgia and Oklahoma; Eastern North America, Zones 5 to 8.

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for part to full shade and dry to moist soil. Hardy in USDA zones 5–8.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee +17 more
Pure Green Sweat bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Colletes nudus, Alumroot Cellophane Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Maine Blueberry Bee, hoary sweat bee, Cresson's Nomad Bee, Broad-faced Masked Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Illinois Cuckoo Sweat Bee, Lasioglossum platyparius, Early Bumble Bee, Garden Bumble Bee, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Colourful Willow Miner Bee, Augochlorella persimilis
Moths Ipsilon Dart Moth also Acontia candefacta
Flower flies Volucella bombylans also Hemipenthes sinuosus
Also visited by
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Wasps: Fraternal Potter Wasp
- Butterflies: Viceroy
- Beetles: Downy Long-horned Beetle

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (27): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Connecticut to Ontario and Michigan, south to Georgia and Oklahoma; Eastern North America, Zones 5 to 8.The same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 5–8 · Canadian 6–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Well-drained, humus-rich, acid soils, sometimes rocky. Tolerates poor soil, low moisture, and limeThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Water use: Low to mediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.

Spread: ~1 ft (0.3 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.