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Aristolochiaceae FAMILY

Asarum caulescens

Asarum caulescens

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

The plant is found in hardiness zones 7 - 9 in central and southern china. Plants in this genus generally prefer a rich moist neutral to acid soil in dappled to deep shade in a woodland or in a shady position in the rock garden[1, 2]. The flowers are malodorous and are mainly self-pollinated but are also pollinated by mycotrophic flies[2, 3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer[4]. Stored seed will require 3 weeks cold stratification and should be sown in late winter[4]. The seed usually germinates in the spring in 1 - 4 or more weeks at 18°c[4]. 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[2]. It is best to pot the divisions up and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing away strongly. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Asarum+caulescens>

Pollinators

Self, Flies

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · 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.
  3. [3]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  4. [4]Growing from Seed. Volume 2. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1988 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
  5. [5]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  6. [6]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 64 — Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University; Boston · 1983 ↩︎A botanical journal, amongst the articles is a series of revisions of the genus Asarum in China