Heuchera parvifolia

This species is found in across the Basin and Range region and some adjacent areas, in drier and harsher areas than most of its relatives, from middling to very high elevations. It is highly distinctive in floral morphology, with its shallow hypanthium which slowly flattens or even everts over the development of the flower (but see var. major) to show off a bright yellow nectary disk. Previously, many varieties and/or species have been segregated from this complex, but recent treatments have maintained only H. wootonii. Molecular work has not yet sorted out the problems in this plant, but it gives some indication that a single-species treatment may be artificial. I give some potentially valuable segregates below with notes on how they may be differentiated; recent treatments generally have not recognized these.

H. parvifolia "var. parvifolia"

Pictures taken from cultivated plants from northern Wyoming. The first picture is earlier in development. This is the typical phase, including H. parvifolia var. utahensis, in which the hypanthium everts over time.

H. parvifolia narrow-petal phase

This plant, which keys to H. parvifolia var. major under the key of Rosendahl et al., does sometimes have larger leaves than the typical variety, but it is more easily segregated based on the very narrow petals and hypanthia that do not flatten or evert over the life of the flower. This plant came from northern Colorado; the photographs are from cultivation.

"H. flabellifolia" (= H. parvifolia)

This variety is found in the northern Rockies. It is practically identical in floral morphology to var. parvifolia, but the leaves are rather distinctive with deep sinuses. It is not clear how different this variety is, but the varieties of H. parvifolia are geographically separate and the leaf difference is certainly maintained in cultivation. It shows strong hypanthium inversion.