Saxifragaceae

Saxifrage Family

Coral Bells

FAMILY: Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae) – Heuchera genus.

SPECIES: Coral bells or carmine alumroot (Heuchera sanguinea Engelm.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! The leaves are very high in tannins and need to be processed prior to consumption. They are otherwise considered safe, as are other members of the genus (Tilford p. 12 and Vizgirdas p. 167).

Coral bell leaves are edible after preparation. Fresh leaves are extremely astringent and covered with raspy hairs. Bitterness swiftly overwhelms the faint lettuce-like suggestion and any other flavors competing for attention. Coral bells are best prepared as potherbs, and they need to be cooked alone. Boiling draws out much of the astringency and creates pale green wastewater. Brief boiling probably won’t eliminate the astringency, but thorough boiling involving a few changes of cooking water should remedy the situation. Of course, the extensive processing eliminates most of the nutritional value. Cooked leaves taste bland, but they should pass for palatable. Raspy hairs on the leaves present a bigger problem than the flavor. These hairs endure the cooking process and impart a texture that tends to uncomfortably “grip your throat.” They’re destined to be annoying. The texture is otherwise chewable and free of problems. Even the leafstalks are chewable. Coral bells are common in the mountains of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico from April to October, but they’re not found outside those regions. Overall, coral bell leaves make a poor-quality wild food.

Coral bell flowers are not reported to be edible, but they were sampled during the fieldwork conducted for this reference. Judging by flavor, the flowers would seem perfectly edible. They taste much better than the leaves, almost good enough to eat raw. The flavor is palatable. The texture is soft. The aroma is subtle. Astringency is low. Hairs are nonirritating. The flowers are definitely the best part of coral bells. They’re also easy to spot as the striking red or pink displays contrast the surrounding landscape. Coral bells bloom throughout most of the growing season and prefer to grow in rocky situations, especially when the situations are steep. Plants with edible leaves are likely to have edible flowers, but confirmation of the edibility of coral bell flowers was not possible.

NOTES: As a whole, the Heuchera genus is better known among gardeners than foragers, mainly for the attractive leaves used to accent rock gardens. Most species have small flowers that don’t appeal to gardeners. Coral bells are an exception to this. A few species, commonly called alumroots, can be used as medicine to stop bleeding, promote healing, and cure diarrhea. The tannin-rich roots are generally used for these medicinal purposes. Very little has been written about coral bells as a vegetable. Bad flavor, low caloric value, and the limited range of the species presumably account for this, but none of these factors deterred my efforts to document every wild food of the southwestern United States. Coral bells are common in the Huachuca Mountains of southern Arizona and most of the nearby mountain ranges. Inquisitive foragers seeking an “education in flavor” can freely indulge without fear of threatening this species. A few species are rare, so care should be taken to properly identify them when experimenting with the genus. Since coral bells have intensely red or pink flowers, confusion with rare species is unlikely. Plenty of better options for leafy vegetables exist in southern Arizona, so coral bell leaves are of relatively minor importance. Every place has its good points and bad points. The Huachuca Mountains have a lot of good points. I documented many plants in those mountains, including coral bells. Everything I’ve read about coral bells and other species of the Heuchera genus in some way indicated that these plants taste unappealing, and none of my experiences with coral bells presented evidence contrary to those views.

IDENTIFICATION: About 35 species of the Heuchera genus are found in the United States, of which 15 inhabit the Southwest, and of these 15 only 4 are likely to be encountered. Coral bells can be distinguished from most other species by its relatively showy, reddish-pink, bell-shaped flowers. Sepals and petals are attached to hypanthiums resembling calyx tubes. All these parts are approximately the same color.

Description of coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea): FORM stemless plant about 20-40 cm tall; LEAVES simple; basal; long-stalked; blades rounded in outline and with 5-7 rounded lobes; margins toothed (crenate); FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary partially inferior, and arranged in panicles terminating long stalks; hypanthiums bell-shaped, pinkish-red, lower portions fused to the ovaries, upper portions free; sepals 5; petals 5; pistils 1; styles 2, included within the corolla tubes; stigmas 2; stamens 5, also included; FRUITS capsules ovoid and 2-beaked; seeds ellipsoid, dark brown; HABITAT rocky mountain at mid to upper elevations; southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, blooming April to October.

REFERENCES: Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea): leaves Couplan (p. 205). Tilford (p. 12) states that all members of the saxifrage family are edible to some degree, and this was stated under the Heuchera genus. Vizgirdas (p. 167) makes a similar statement and indicates that all species in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are safe to eat. Moerman (p. 127) mentions that crevice alumroot (Heuchera micrantha) was utilized as a leafy vegetable by the Miwok Indians of California.

Brook Saxifrage

FAMILY: Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae) – Micranthes genus. Note that this genus is often integrated with the Saxifraga genus.

SPECIES: Brook saxifrage (Micranthes odontoloma (Piper) A. Heller = Saxifraga odontoloma Piper).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Leaves of brook saxifrage are edible fresh or cooked. Fresh leaves are mild, suitable for salads, and high in vitamins A and C. The texture is leathery and free of stringy materials. Even the u-shaped stalks are free of strings. Brook saxifrage leaves are positioned like those of miner’s lettuce, which are positioned basally. These plants differ in many aspects, but laymen may see some resemblance. Brook saxifrage leaves can be gathered in spring or summer, or anytime before they wither. Healthy leaves of any age taste good. They don’t become worse with age, as leaves often do. Based on the colonies observed for this reference, damage from insects and diseases appears to be minimal. Under ideal conditions, such as cool mountain streams receiving ample sunlight, brook saxifrage can form extensive colonies, but ideal conditions are hard to find in the Southwest. Overall, the leaves of brook saxifrage are a fine resource, but the plants just aren’t common enough to be of much value to southwestern foragers.

NOTES: The first time I encountered brook saxifrage was on Cerro Vista Mountain in north-central New Mexico, about 10 miles southeast of Taos. An old dirt road closed by the forest service in combination with water running off the mountain provided suitable growing conditions for the colony. Water and sunlight are vital resources for plants, and trees often deprive plants of these resources. I’ve always seen trees as the “big corporations” of plant life, corporations that unfairly monopolize resources and make it difficult for anything else to flourish. Small plants or “small businesses” understand this tension as they wither in the competition. Fortunately, the colony of brook saxifrage on Cerro Vista was spared this fate. It found a safe haven along that old forest road. Actually, that “road” could rightfully be called a stream. I got the impression that the water, road, sunlight, trees, and colony of brook saxifrage were battling over the same spot, and that the water was winning the battle. Construction of forest roads actually does a lot of good for plants by creating an opening in the trees, turning the soil, removing competing vegetation, and directing water in a way comparable to modern irrigation methods. These factors (along with a variety of chemicals) are the same factors that make agriculture successful. I find lots of edible plants along roads and I recognize the good points, as well as the bad points, of constructing roads. That old forest road traversing Cerro Vista has probably disappeared into the landscape by now, as nearly 20 years have passed since my last visit. Cerro Vista is part of a larger mountain complex called the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which is part of the Rocky Mountains. The whole area is an excellent place to search for various saxifrages. It’s also an excellent area to search for other wild foods. All my experiences with brook saxifrage were good ones, and they were all in the enchanted state of New Mexico.

IDENTIFICATION: About 30-35 species of the Micranthes genus are currently found in the United States, of which only 3 occur in the Southwest. Several species of the closely related Saxifraga genus also occur in the Southwest, but they’re uncommon and generally restricted to moist, rocky, mountain habitats. The Micranthes genus was recently segregated from the Saxifraga genus. These genera are distinguished by leaf position and seed texture. Leaves are either primarily basal (Micranthes) or a combination of basal and cauline (Saxifraga). Seeds can be ribbed (Micranthes) or smooth to bumpy (Saxifraga). Brook saxifrage (Micranthes odontoloma) is the dominant southwestern species, and it’s fairly distinctive. Snowball or diamond-leaf saxifrage (M. rhomboidea), found primarily in alpine habitats, is the other “common” southwestern species. Redfuzz saxifrage (M. eriophora) can be found in the mountains of southeastern Arizona. 

Description of brook saxifrage (Micranthes odontoloma): FORM stemless plant about 10-50 cm tall from a thick, horizontal rootstock; LEAVES simple; basal; long-stalked; blades rounded or kidney-shaped; margins coarsely toothed (crenate-dentate-mucronate); surfaces usually hairless; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged in open panicles; bulbils absent; sepals 5, reflexed; petals 5, free, round, entire, clawed, and white with 2 yellow spots; pistils 2, connate in lower half, each with a horn-like style; stamens 10, club-shaped, and petal-like; FRUITS capsules greenish-purple; HABITAT mountain streams and other moist places; throughout most of the West; blooming May to September.

REFERENCES: Brook saxifrage (Micranthes odontoloma = Saxifraga odontoloma): leaves Benoliel (p. 53) and Vizgirdas (pp. 168-169). Vizgirdas notes that the whole genus (Saxifraga) is considered to be a safe source of leaves and lists numerous species for the Pacific states.

Additional references, primarily for the eastern United States, include: #1 lettuce-leaf saxifrage (Micranthes micranthidifolia (Haw.) Small = Saxifraga micranthidifolia (Haw.) Steud.): leaves Couplan (p. 205), McGregor (pp. 302-303), and Moerman (p. 241). #2 Pennsylvania or eastern swamp saxifrage (Micranthes pensylvanica (L.) Haw. = Saxifraga pensylvanica L.): leaves Couplan (p. 205) and Moerman (p. 241). #3 Virginia or early saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis (Michx.) Small = Saxifraga virginiensis Michx.): leaves Couplan (p. 205).