Asarum minus

Asarum minus
Asarum minus flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Aristolochiaceae
Genus: Asarum
Species:
A. minus
Binomial name
Asarum minus
Ashe

Asarum minus, the little heartleaf or little brown jug, is a species of flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family. It is native to the southeast United States.

Description

Heart-shaped, variegated leaves of Asarum minus

Asarum minus is a low-growing, stemless perennial. Its leaves and flowers emerge from an underground rhizome. The leaves are long-petioled, heart- to kidney-shaped, 1.5-3 inches long, variegated, evergreen-leathery, and emit a spicy smell when torn. Maroon-brown flowers are situated on short stalks, about 1/2 in. long. Flowers are firm and fleshy and have a weak bell shape that flares out into three triangular, white-mottled lobes. Fruit is a round, fleshy capsule.

Range

Asarum minus is endemic to the piedmont region, coastal plains, and mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Ecology

Flowers are often hidden under leaf litter.

Taxonomy

Asarum minus was first described by William Ashe in 1897. A. minus is the basionym of Hexastylis minor (Ashe) H.L. Blomq.

References

  1. ↑ "Asarum minus (Little Heartleaf)". iNaturalist. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Cotterman, Laura; Waitt, Damon; Weakley, Alan (2019). Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast. Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-60469-760-5.
  3. ↑ "Tropicos". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2023-05-31.