Asarum canadense L.

Canadian Wild Ginger

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

**

The "Deciduous Gingers" [genus Asarum s.s.] have been a source of confusion in the Eastern USA for ages. In following other floristic treatments from the Eastern USA, all of the material in Alabama has historically been treated as Asarum canadense L. while subsuming the other taxa in synonymy. However, as pointed out by Estes (2015), it appears some of the lesser used taxon names seem to have merit and should be recognized. When using these names, it appears that most all material from Alabama is identifiable with Asarum reflexum E.P. Bicknell while the true Asarum canadense L. is extremely rare in Alabama only occurring in Jackson County (Spaulding et al 2018). Asarum reflexum has reflexed calyx lobes that gradually tapered to an acute but flattened tip while Asarum canadense has spreading calyx lobes that are abruptly contracted into a long revolute narrow tip. Sometimes these differences are difficult to determine on a herbarium sheet and are much easier assessed in fresh material.--B. Keener

Native S1 (State Rank) G5 (Global Rank)

Estes, D. 2015. Is over-reliance of using herbarium specimens for taxonomic studies leading us to underestimate Southeastern plant diversity? Part 1 of 2. Natural History, Flora, and Vegetation of the Southeastern US. [southeastveg.blogspot.com] |||Spaulding, D.D., et al. 2019. Flora of northern Alabama, part 4. Basal monocots: Acorales and Alismatales, sweetflag to pondweeds. Phytoneuron 2019-47: 1–132.