Heuchera sanguinea, commonly called coral bells, is an herbaceous, clump-forming perennial that typically forms a basal foliage mound to 8-10” tall. Foliage is evergreen in warm winter climates. The epithet "sanguinea" means blood-red.
Heuchera sanguinea, commonly called coral bells, is an herbaceous, clump-forming perennial that typically forms a basal foliage mound to 8-10” tall. Foliage is evergreen in warm winter climates. Showy, sweetly fragrant, bell-shaped, deep pink to red flowers (to 1/2” long) bloom from late spring to early summer (May-July) in open airy panicles atop slender leafless flowering stems rising above the foliage to 12-20” tall. Bloom sometimes extends through summer to early fall, particularly if faded flowers are regularly deadheaded. This plant is primarily native to cliffs, hills and alpine areas from New Mexico and Arizona south into northern Mexico. Rounded, cordate-based basal leaves (to 2” across) are borne on pubescent petioles to 5” long. Each leaf has 5-7 slightly toothed, triangular pointed lobes. Genus name honors Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747), physician, botanist and medicinal plant expert at Wittenberg University, Germany.