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Asarum shuttleworthii - Britton.&Baker.;

Author	Britton.&Baker.;	Botanical references	200, 235, 270
Family	Aristolochiaceae	Genus	Asarum
Synonyms	Hexastylis shuttleworthii - (Britton.&Baker.;)Small.
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	South-eastern N. America - West Virginia to Alabama.
Habitat	Rich mountain woods[235]. Acidic soils, often along creeks beneath Rhododendron maximum , deciduous or mixed deciduous-conifer forests at elevations of 400 - 1300 metres[270].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.25m.

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

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Uses: Condiment.

The following note is for the related A. caudatum, it quite possibly also applies to this species[K]. The root can be used as a ginger substitute[183]. The root has a pungent, aromatic smell like mild pepper and ginger mixed, but more strongly aromatic[245]. It can be harvested all year round, but is best in the autumn[K]. It can also be dried for later use[K]. Leaves are a tea substitute[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A useful ground-cover plant for shady positions so long as the soil is not dry[197], spreading by its roots[208].

Scented Plants

Root: Crushed Dried

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

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich moist neutral to acid soil in woodland or a shady position in the rock garden[1, 200]. 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.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Ground cover plants..

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

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.

[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.

[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.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[197] Royal Horticultural Society. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells. 1989 ISBN 0-304-31089-1
A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.

[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.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[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.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

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