Asarum asperum is a species of flowering plant in the pipevine family, Aristolochiaceae. It is endemic to Japan, where it is found on Shikoku and in the western regions of Honshu.[1] It is particularly common in the vicinity of Kyoto and Nara.[2]

It is a perennial that produces thick evergreen leaves, which are ovate-orbicular and have a subhastate base.[1] It produces ground-level maroon flowers, that are pollinated by insects. The flowering tube is prominently constricted at its apex. It blooms in April.[1] It forms colonies on the forest floor, where it often grows co-occurs with Ainsliaea cordifolia, with which it bears a resemblance.[2]

  • Detail of flowers
    Detail of flowers

References

  1. ^ a b c Ohwi, Jisaburo (1965). Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution. p. 399.
  2. ^ a b Yinger, B.R. (1983). A horticultural monograph of the genus Asarum, sensu lato, in Japan (PDF) (Master's Thesis). University of Delaware. Retrieved 2018-12-10.[permanent dead link]