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 is a low-growing, stemless perennial. Leaves and flowers arise from an underground rhizome. Leaves are long-petioled, heart- to kidney-shaped, 1.5-3 in. long, variegated, evergreen-leathery, with 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]
Asarum minus is endemic to the piedmont region, coastal plains, and mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[2]
Flowers are often hidden under leaf litter.
Asarum minus was first described by William Ashe in 1897.[3] A. minus is the basionym of Hexastylis minor (Ashe) H.L. Blomq.
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.
