WOODLAND PERENNIALS
Asarum asaroides Zones 6-9 #701-029
Evergreen clump-forming Japanese species with gray-green leaves to 6" long, with cloudy silver patterns, taking on a rosy blush in winter. Name means "asarum resembling an asarum"; taxonomists are deranged. Large tubby brown flowers in spring. Easy plant essential for the shade garden, glorious when the hostas are frozen mush.
Asarum asperum Zones 6-9 #701-046
Clump-forming evergreen species from central Japan with leaves to 3" long, marked with a variety of beautiful patterns. Curious "Dutchman's pipe" flowers in spring. Often seen in Kyoto temple gardens. Good garden plant.
Asarum caulescens Zones 4-8 #701-042
It's not easy being deciduous, but this charming Japanese woodlander belongs in every shade garden. Pairs of dainty heart-shaped 2-to 3-inch long leaves, with deeply impressed patterns of venation. Pretty nodding rose-pink flowers. Small enough for a trough. Elegant groundcover for small bulbs such as trout lilies
Asarum dissitum Zones 4-8 #701-012
Asarum hexalobum Zones 6-9 #
Widespread Japanese evergreen clumping species with leaves to 5" long. Gorgeous matte- surfaced leaves, either unmarked or with a wide variety of silver and gray markings. "Dutchman's pipe" flowers. Exceptional garden plant.
Asarum hirsutisepalum Zones 7-9 #
Robust Japanese species from Yakushima. Evergreen clumper with 6" long, thick glossy dark green leaves with a rubbery feel. Large yellowish flowers covered with purple plush in spring.
Asarum kiushianum Zones 7-9 #
Clumping evergreen species from Kyushu, Japan. Leaves are about 3" long, usually patterned. Three-lobed flowers are brownish-purple
Asarum kiushianum var.tubulosum Zones 7-9 #
Very rare variation of above. Clump-former with narrow, evergreen, matte-finish, dark green or patterned leaves. Startling cafe-au-lait to pure white flowers in spring.
Asarum kooyanum Zones 6-9 #
Rarely-seen evergreen species from central Honshu. Related to A. nipponicum. Clump-forming, with green or occasionally patterned foliage. Good garden plant.
Asarum kumageanum Zones 6b-9 #
Japanese species from Yokushima (island) and nearby Tanegashima. Gorgeous glassy-shiny evergreen foliage, unmarked or with various striking patterns. Forms big husky clumps. Excellent garden plant.
Asarum maximum Zones 7b-9 #
Extraordinary Chinese species called the "panda" asarum in Japan because of its 2" wide black flowers with a contrasting pure white eye. Big, lush evergreen leaves to 7" long form an imposing clump. Leaves are glossy and faintly patterned. Beautiful show plant for the cold greenhouse. Fantastic garden plant for warm temperate climates.
Asarum megacalyx Zones 5-8 #
Northern Japanese species with wide-ranging rhizomes and glossy 3" long evergreen leaves, dark green or patterned. Forms a beautiful groundcover in loose, humusy soil. Large, bell- shaped nearly black flowers in fall. Excellent garden plant.
Asarum minamitanianum Zones 7-9 #
Clump-forming Japanese species from a few sites on Kyushu Island, now nearly extinct in the wild (no, I had nothing to do with it). Usually patterned semi-glossy evergreen leaves, to 4" long. Amazing flowers have extended tails on each lobe to 3" long, often with interesting color patterns. Good garden plant, or essential cool greenhouse plant for those who enjoy horticultural one-upspersonship.
Asarum monodoraeflorum Zones 8-9 #
Extremely rare species from the Japanese island lriomote in the Ryukyu chain. Evergreen clump- former with oval leaves that seem to have been cut from velvet, dark green or patterned. Guaranteed to annoy your overly-competitive gardening friends.
Asarum nipponicum Zones 5b-9 #
Central Japanese evergreen species once common but now rare in the wild. Clumper with leathery oval leaves, green or gray-green, usually patterned, to 4" long. Small brown flowers in winter. Excellent garden plant that should be in every shade garden.
Asarum sakawanum Zones 7-9 #
Japanese clumping species from Shikoku Island. Glossy evergreen leaves to 5" long, green or more often gray-green, almost always beautifully patterned in endless variety. "Dutchman's pipe"-shaped flowers in spring. Strong grower.
Asarum satsumense Zones 6b-9 #
This is the southern Japanese relative of A. asaroides, differing in minor floral characteristics. Flowers are boldly ruffled and tuberculated. Clumping species with large, usually gray-green patterned leaves. Well-adapted to southern climates; good garden plant.
Asarum sieboldii Zones 3-7 #
Deciduous clumping species from northeastern Asia with thin green leaves and purple flowers. Will lose its foliage in summer in hot-summer climates.
Asarum splendens Zones 6b-9 #
Vigorous running Chinese species originally introduced by the Arnold Arboretum as A. magnificum. Large leaves boldly splashed silver. Forms large ground-cover patches in loose humusy soil.
Asarum stellatum Zones 7-9 #
Rare evergreen Japanese species from a cluster of small islands near Shikoku Island, closely related to A. sakawanum. Glossy leaves are usually peppered with white spots, thus the name. 'Dutchman's pipe" flowers are strikingly bi-colored. Good garden plant for the Southeast.
Asarum subglobosum Zones 7-9 #
Rare southern Japanese clumping species with gray-green evergreen patterned leaves to 5" long. Beige nearly spherical flowers. Strong garden plant for the Southeast.
Asarum takaoi Zones 5-9 #
Widespread, extremely variable Japanese species, semi-running, with oval glossy leaves to 2" long, green or patterned. Excellent small-scale groundcover for other woodland plants and small bulbs. Easy and vigorous. One of the very best species for general garden use.
Asarum tamaense Zones 5-9 #
One of the best hardy species for garden use, once fairly common but now very rare and seldom offered for sale. Evergreen clumper with leathery, nearly glossy leaves with deeply impressed veins, mostly patterned.
Asarum unzen Zones 6-9 #
Very rare evergreen clumping species from northern Kyushu's volcanic mountains, with patterned evergreen leaves and flowers like a smaller version of A. asaroides. Variable and always beautiful.
Asarum viridiflorum Zones 6-9 #
Cute evergreen clumper from Japan, with small heart-shaped leaves and green flowers. Similar to A. takaoi in general appearance. Leaves are nicely patterned. Now known only in cultivation.
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