Heuchera cylindrica

Heuchera cylindrica,

Heuchera cylindrica

 Cascadia alum root, roundleaf alumroot,  poker heuchera, Family: Saxifragaceae. Occurs east of the Cascades, north to BC and south into Cali.

Heuchera cylindrica

          A clump forming perennial, it's basal leaves are leathery, slightly hairy, round to oval shaped with toothed and scalloped margins, with more or less 5 lobes. The flower rises up about 24 inches, on a thin stock with a cluster of pale yellow creamy white buddy blossoms at the very tip.
     Roundleaf alum root likes rocky, talus slopes, sheltered from the wind in the cleft of rocks.
     

Heuchera cylindrica

    The alum roots, Heuchera tribe are known for their pink color and high astringent tannins. As a high astringent root plant, it's at the upper end of internal use, nonetheless, like oak bark, it tightens tissue, internally can be used stop diarrhea.
   

Heuchera cylindrica

     Externally a hemostatic, it stops bleeding and a liquid tea when cooled can be mixed with 1 teaspoon salt to 1 quart water for an isotonic wound wash, a gargle for sore throat and similar to white ratany of the southwest can be used as an ingredient in a mouth rinse for inflamed gums and gingivitis.
   

Heuchera cylindrica

      A poultice of the mashed crushed roots can be used to quiet the itchiness of bug and mosquitoe bites or skin rashes. The root can be while fresh, cut into very thin slices, then cut and diced, into the smallest pieces possible, then dried, then with mortar and pestle, or small coffee grinder, ground into a powder for future use. The roots, if left whole become rock hard and unusable. The powdered root can either be applied directly to skin, mixed with water to make a paste, for sun burn, itchy bug bites, or contact dermatitis like poison ivy.
       Similar to its namesake, it has mordant qualities so that a fiber is boiled first with alum root before being dipped, to set the color of fabric.