''Asarum caudatum'' (British Columbia wild ginger, western wild ginger, or long-tailed wild ginger) is a plant native to rich moist

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s of western North America. It has heart-shaped leaves and a three-lobed purplish flower.

Description

Growing from a long rhizome, the reniform (kidney/heart-shaped) leaves range from in length. The leaves are found in colonies or clusters as the rhizome spreads, forming mats. The leaves emit a ginger aroma when rubbed.US Forest Service Fire Ecology
/ref> Blooming from April to July (about a month earlier in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

), the flower sits at the end of a leafstalk, often on the ground, hidden by the leaves. The flowers are

hirsute Hirsutism is excessive body hair on parts of the body where hair is normally absent or minimal. The word is from early 17th century: from Latin ''hirsutus'' meaning "hairy". It usually refers to a "male" pattern of hair growth in a female that ...

(hairy), cup-shaped, and brown-purple to green-yellow, terminating in three, long, gracefully curved lobes. Similar species include '' A. hartwegii'', '' A. lemmonii'', and '' A. marmoratum''.

Etymology

''Caudatum'' comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''cauda'', meaning tail. This refers to the tail-like shape of the flower's

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

Distribution and habitat

''Asarum caudatum'' is found in British Columbia,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

, and

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

in moist, shaded environments. Its northernmost populations occur near Meziadin Lake. It is a typical herb found in the understory of mixed conifer forests under in elevation, and is often a dominant plant.

Ecology

''A. caudatum'' reproduces rhizomatously, meaning many mats are formed by one clonal plant connected by a rhizome. It can also reproduce sexually, with its seeds dispersed by

ants Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Creta ...

. The flowers are pollinated by

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

. However,

cross-pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

is rare. Ants are attracted by a fatty appendage attached to the seed. The ants carry the entire package back to their

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

. The seed is often dropped outside the nest once the ant realizes only the appendage is edible. Due to the costs of producing seeds with an appendage to attract ants, it is more energetically favorable for the plant to reproduce rhizomatously.

Conservation

''Asarum caudatum'' is not listed a species of concern. However, the habitat in which it is native is threatened in some regions by logging and other land uses.

Toxicity

Members of the family

Aristolochiaceae The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The type genus is '' Aristolochia'' L. Description They are mostly perennial, ...

contain

aristolochic acid Aristolochic acids () are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic phytochemicals commonly found in the flowering plant family Aristolochiaceae (birthworts). Aristolochic acid (AA) I is the most abundant one. The family Aristolochi ...

, which has been recognized as a

carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subst ...

Uses

The root is edible. Native Americans used the plant for various medicinal purposes. Some describe using ''A. caudatum'' as a

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

substitute and as a

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

with medicinal properties. In a study on its effects on fungus, ''A. caudatum'' had

antifungal An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cry ...

properties when tested against nine fungal species.

References

External links

* *
Profile at USDA PLANTS DatabaseDistribution Map from Flora of North America at efloras.org
caudatum Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Garden plants {{Piperales-stub