Asarum rollinsiae
| Asarum rollinsiae | |
|---|---|
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| Full-plant view of Asarum rollinsiae with flower. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Aristolochiaceae |
| Genus: | Asarum |
| Species: | A. rollinsiae
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| Binomial name | |
| Asarum rollinsiae (B.R. Keener & Todia) A.R. Diamond
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Asarum rollinsiae, commonly known as Rollins' wild ginger, is a perennial wildflower in the family Aristolochiaceae. It is endemic to Alabama, where it is only found in a handful of populations off of a single creek drainage in Baldwin County, Alabama.[3]
Description
[edit]Asarum rollinsiae is an evergreen, herbaceous plant endemic to a few populations off of a single drainage in Baldwin County, Alabama. It has arrow-shaped leaves which are variegated between the leaf veins, a characteristic trait of members of the informal Asarum arifolium-speciosum clade. The flowers are borne among stiffly erect pedicels which are recurved in order to direct the calyx towards the substrate. The calyx has recurved calyx lobes and greenish-yellow styles. Blooming occurs in early spring.[4]
Taxonomy
[edit]Asarum rollinsiae was originally collected by Gena Todia, an avid native plant gardener known for rescuing flora from sites facing development. In May 2019, she observed a distinctive Asarum specimen growing alongside Asarum arifolium and Asarum harperi that did not match either species. To aid in identification, she posted photographs of the plant to the Facebook group "Flora of the Southeastern United States." There, Brian Keener, herbarium curator at the University of West Alabama, recognized its unique morphology. In 2021, he formally described the species as Hexastylis rollinsiae based on cultivated material, an unusual but necessary approach, as initial efforts to relocate the plant in the wild were unsuccessful.[4] The species was transferred to the genus Asarum in 2023 by Alvin R. Diamond, herbarium curator at Troy University, following molecular studies that supported the inclusion of Hexastylis within Asarum.[5]
Conservation status
[edit]Asarum rollinsiae is globally ranked as GH – Possibly Extinct by NatureServe, although this ranking is currently inaccurate as a handful of wild populations have been successfully located.[1]
Discovery through social media
[edit]Asarum rollinsiae is the first plant species in North America to be formally described following attention drawn through internet-based platforms.[4] It is the second North American species described via the internet, following the fungal species Troglomyces twitteri described in 2020 as the direct result of a Twitter post.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Hexastylis rollinsiae (Rollins' Wild Ginger)". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ^ "Asarum rollinsiae (B.R. Keener & Todia) A.R. Diamond". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ "Hexastylis rollinsiae – Rollins' Wild Ginger". Alabama Plant Atlas. Flora of Alabama. 2023. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ^ a b c Keener, Brian R.; Todia, Gena (2021). "A new Hexastylis (Aristolochiaceae) with uncertain origin in the southeastern U.S.A., discovered through social media". Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 15 (2): 319–325. doi:10.17348/jbrit.v15.i2.1151.
- ^ Diamond, Alvin R. (2023). "New combinations in Asarum (Aristolochiaceae) for two recently described Hexastylis species". Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 17 (2): 427–429. doi:10.17348/jbrit.v17.i2.1321.
- ^ Santamaria, Sergi; Enghoff, Henrik; Reboleira, Ana Sofia (2020). "The first Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes) from an American millipede, discovered through social media". MycoKeys (67): 45–53. doi:10.3897/mycokeys.67.51811. PMC 7242483. PMID 32476982.