Asarum arifolium

Asarum arifolium
The unique inflorescence of Asarum arifolia which inspire its common name, "little brown jug."
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Piperales
Family:	Aristolochiaceae
Genus:	Asarum
Species:	A. arifolia
Binomial name
Asarum arifolia Michx. 1803
Synonyms [1]
Hexastylis arifoliumMichx. Small

Asarum arifolia (common names the little brown jug, arrowleaf, and heartleaf) is a perennial wildflower in the family Aristolochiaceae found in the southeastern United States, from Louisiana to Virginia, inland as far as Kentucky. ^[2] It is considered a threatened species in Florida.^{[ citation needed ]} The appearance of the flowers of Asarum arifolia, growing near the ground at the base of the plant, give it the common name "little brown jug."

Description

Asarum arifolia is an evergreen, perennial herb with no above-ground stems, spreading by means of underground rhizomes.

Leaves are hairless, of two sorts. Small, scale-like leaves adhere to the underground rhizomes, while larger green, heart-shaped leaves emerge above ground. Flowers are formed one at a time, on the ends of the rhizomes. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Foliage

Asarum arifolia

Asarum arifolia flower, cut to reveal the internal structures.

References

1. Tropicos, Hexastylis arifolia (Michx.) Small
2. Biota of North America Program, 2014 county distribution map
3. Whittemore, Alan T.; Gaddy, L. L. (1993). "Hexastylis arifolia". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol. 2. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
4. Horn, Dennis; Cathcart, Tavia; Hemmerly, Thomas E.; Duhl, David (2005). Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians. Lone Pine Publishing. p. 47. ISBN   978-1-55105-428-5.
5. Small, John Kunkel (1907). "Aristolochiaceae". In Britton, Nathaniel Lord (ed.). Manual of the flora of the northern states and Canada (3rd ed.). New York: Henry Holt & Company. p. 348.