BIRTHWORT FAMILY. Aristolochiacese. 



BIRTHWORT FAMILY. Aristolochiacece. 



A small family of twining or low herbs, having per- 

 fect flowers with six or more stamens and a pistil. The 

 leaves stemmed, and either alternate or proceeding from 

 the root. The flower-cup or calyx, without petals, 

 united with the ovary or fruit receptacle, and lobed or 

 irregular. Assisted in the process of fertilization by 

 various smaller insects. 



The two long-stemmed deep green veiny 

 Asarum^ leaves soft woolly, and heart-shaped, their 

 Canadense stems hairy ; the flower with three dis- 

 Brown=purple tinct pointed brownish or madder purple 

 April-May divisions to the calyx which is closely 

 united to the solid seed receptacle or ovary, green out- 

 side ; the cup white below marked by a hexagon in pur- 

 ple-brown. A curious woodland plant whose odd flower 

 is half concealed by its low position and its sober color 

 which not infrequently resembles the leaf-mould just 

 beneath it. Its proximity to the ground and the fre- 

 quent visits of the fungus gnats and the early flesh-flies 

 suggest that these have most to do with the fertilization 

 of the plant. 6-12 inches high. Common in rich woods 

 from Me., south to N. Car., west to Mo. arid Kan. 

 Asarum ^ sou t nern species with evergreen leaves 



arifolium arrow-heart-shaped, and urn-shaped flow- 



Green-purple ers dull green outside, dull purple-brown 

 April-June inside, with three short blunt lobes. One 

 leaf only put forth each year. In woods from Va. , south 

 to Tenn., Ala., and Fla. 



Asarum A southern species confined to moun- 



virginicum tain woods, with 1-3 leaves, round-heart- 



Brown=purple shaped, smooth and leathery in texture, 

 May-June an( j a bout 2 inches broad, the surface 

 generally mottled white-green. The brown-purple flow- 

 er about | inch long with 3 blunt lobes, net- veined inside. 

 Filaments shorter than the anthers. Va. and W. Va. 

 toGa. 



Similar in character, but with very large 

 Asarum bell-shaped flowers 1^-2 inches long. 



grandtjlorum _, -_._. . ., __ _. 



Mountains, Va., Tenn., and N. Car. 

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