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Asarum reflexum

Common name:		Family:	Aristolochiaceae
Author:	Bickn.	Botanical references:	43, 235
Synonyms:	Asarum canadense reflexum ((Bickn.)Robins.)
Known Hazards:	Although no reports of toxicity have been found for this plant, at least 3 other members of this genus have reports that the leaves are toxic[7, 19]. Some caution is therefore advised in the use of this plant.
Range:	Eastern N. America - Connecticut and New York to Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas.
Habitat:	Rich moist soils in woodlands, along the sides of streams and in river valleys, often forming large patches[43, 159, 235].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. acuminatum[B,P] A. canadense[B,E,G,H,HORTIPLEX,Sa,Sngs,Swal,P] A. canadense var. acuminatum[B,P] A. canadense var. ambiguum[B,P] A. canadense var. reflexum[B,P] A. rubrocinctum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Canada Snakeroot [H,S], Canadian Wild Ginger [B], Canadian Wildginger [P], Coltsfoot [H], Ginger Root [H], Ginger, Wild [S], Indian Ginger [H], Kanada Azarumu [E], Snakeroot, Canada Or Black [S], Wild Ginger [H,S,E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	reflexum = reflexed;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Aristolochiales. Birthwort family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Turkey; Us; Us(Amerindian); Us(Appalachia); Us(Cherokee)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.15m. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower in May. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Flies. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

The underground stem is a ginger substitute. The root has a pungent, aromatic smell like mild pepper and ginger mixed, but more strongly aromatic[245]. It is usually harvested in the autumn[159, 177] and can be dried for later use[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich moist neutral to acid soil in woodland or a shady position in the rock garden[1, 200]. Plants are found on alkaline soils in the wild[43].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[200].
The flowers are malodorous and are pollinated by flies[200].
Plants often self-sow when growing in a suitable position[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer[134]. Stored seed will require 3 weeks cold stratification and should be sown in late winter[134]. The seed usually germinates in the spring in 1 - 4 or more weeks at 18°c[134]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out when large enough in late spring.
Division in spring or autumn. Plants are slow to increase[200]. It is best to pot the divisions up and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly.

Scent

Root: Crushed Dried: The root, especially when quite dry, has a pungent, aromatic smell like mild pepper and ginger mixed, but more strongly aromatic.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Asarum canadense (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Aristolochiaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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