This deserves recognition as a species, although often combined with the largely Appalachian villosa (e.g. Wells 1984, FNA 8). H. macrorhiza is largely restricted to calcareous cliffs in the Interior Low Plateaus. F stated that var. intermedia Rosend., Butt. & Lak. "is possibly recognizable", as an intermediate. However, in Ky. virtually all colls. of macrorhiza are distinct from typical villosa. The coll. from CALL (MUR) was initially misidentified as H. missouriensis Rosendahl (see notes under H. puberula). H. macrorhiza differs from typical villosa (Small 1898, F, W) in its relatively short, broad bractlets, which are densely long-ciliate (versus narrowly lanceolate to subulate, glabrous to thinly ciliate); bracts are oblong to spathulate, and at least the lower ones toothed (versus linear, mostly entire); its stems are "shaggily" villous (versus loosely); leaves are hirsute below, with long soft hairs along veins (versus glabrous to thinly hairy, with appressed stiff hairs along veins); leaf lobes are all shallow, broader than long (versus deep and sharp, especially the longer-than-wide terminal); rhizomes are mostly 10-20 mm thick (versus 5-9 mm). Price (1901, p. 215): "Recently a farmer brought in a plant for me to determine. He had cured a sore on the leg of a valuable horse with a poultice made of the root, when all other remedies had failed, and consideres that he has found a wonderful remedy for horse-flesh. The plant is Heuchera macrorhiza Small. It is very common here on river bluffs" [near Bowling Green, Ky.].