Asarum minus, the little heartleaf or little brown jug, is a species of flowering plant in the Aristolochiaceae family.[1] It is native to the southeast United States.

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

Description

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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.[2]

Range

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Asarum minus is endemic to the piedmont region, coastal plains, and mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[2]

Ecology

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Flowers are often hidden under leaf litter.

Taxonomy

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Asarum minus was first described by William Ashe in 1897.[3] A. minus is the basionym of Hexastylis minor (Ashe) H.L. Blomq.

References

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  1. ^ "Asarum minus (Little Heartleaf)". iNaturalist. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b 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.