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Hexastylis arifolia

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Hexastylis arifolia
Five brown jug-shaped flowers at the base of a low plant, viewed from above.
The unique inflorescence of Hexastylis arifolia which inspire its common name, "little brown jug."

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Aristolochiaceae
Genus: Hexastylis
Species:
H. arifolia
Binomial name
Hexastylis arifolia
Synonyms[1]

Asarum arifolium Michx. 1803

Hexastylis arifolia, or the little brown jug, 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 Hexastylis arifolia, growing near the ground at the base of the plant, give it the common name "little brown jug."

Description

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Hexastylis 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
Hexastylis arifolia
Hexastylis arifolia flower, cut to reveal the internal structures.

References

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  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.