''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in 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, he ...

. The group comprises ten

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to southeastern North America. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

, herbaceous

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

with leaves and

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s arising directly from the rhizomes. Hexastylis was once recognized at the level of genus, and in some floral treatments still is, yet it has been shown through morphological and molecular evidence that it is rooted within the genus '' Asarum''.Flora of North America: Hexastylis
/ref>

Species

There are eighteen species of ''Hexastylis'': * ''

Hexastylis arifolia ''Hexastylis arifolia'', or the little brown jug, is a perennial wildflower in the family Aristolochiaceae found in the southeastern United States, from Louisiana to Virginia, inland as far as Kentucky. It is considered a threatened species in F ...

'' * '' Hexastylis callifolia'' * ''

Hexastylis chueyi ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flowe ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis contracta ''Hexastylis contracta'', commonly known as the mountain heartleaf, is a species of flowering plant in the pipevine family. It is native to eastern North America, where it has an unusual distribution. It is nearly endemic to the Cumberland Plat ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis finzelii ''Hexastylis finzelii'', or Finzel's wild ginger, is species of plant in the Aristolochiaceae native to northern Alabama. It is known from two populations in Marshall County. There are thought to only be around 1,000 individuals in the wild. Th ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis harperi ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flowe ...

'' * '' Hexastylis heterophylla'' * ''

Hexastylis lewisii ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flowe ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis minor ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate (taxonomy), segregate of the genus ''Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemism, endemic to southeastern North America. It is a Perennial plant, perennial, evergr ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis naniflora ''Hexastylis naniflora'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the birthwort family known by the common name dwarf-flowered heartleaf. It is endemic to the Piedmont region of the United States, where it is limited to a small area straddling th ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis rhombiformis ''Hexastylis rhombiformis'', the North Fork heartleaf or French Broad heartleaf, is a wildflower of the family Aristolochiaceae found in North Carolina and South Carolina in the United States. The population of this species discovered in 1982 inc ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis rollinsiae ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flowe ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis rosei ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flowe ...

'' * ''

Hexastylis ruthii ''Hexastylis'' or heartleaf is a segregate of the genus '' Asarum'', in the family Aristolochiaceae. The group comprises ten species endemic to southeastern North America. It is a perennial, evergreen, herbaceous plant with leaves and flower ...

'' * '' Hexastylis shuttleworthii'' * '' Hexastylis sorriei'' * '' Hexastylis speciosa'' * '' Hexastylis virginica''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5748930 Piperales genera Flora of the Eastern United States Aristolochiaceae Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque